Halifax bar closes after sewage backup, but it’s unclear who will pay to fix it

Horrified, disgusted and frustrated.

Those are the feelings Jose Chiu and Gerald McCowan said they felt Saturday night when sewage started flooding their downtown Halifax bar during a sold-out night.

The two own Rumours, a lounge and cabaret on Lower Water Street.

“So the raw sewage just kept coming and coming and flooding the entire back area, flooded our office, flooded the whole green room where the entertainers were getting ready and it was coming towards you,” said McCowan.

“Back areas in the washrooms and things like that.”

They are now shut down due to health concerns and the bar is expected to be closed for a week. This means the business will be out tens of thousands of dollars.

“We are creating too many events for our community and now I feel like my hands are tied and I can’t do anything because of this and I feel so frustrated,” said Chiu.

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“My staff, they need the hours to work and I couldn’t even do the schedule, so it’s been really stressful.”

Since Rumours sublets the space from JD Shore —  a distillery — the property owner, Waterford Developments, says they’re not responsible for repairs.

But Arla Johnson, JD Shore’s co-owner, says the sewage issues have been a longstanding problem with the building and that tenants shouldn’t be on the hook for repairs.

“It goes beyond just like a clogged sink or toilet or something like that,” said Johnson.

“The building is old, it needs to be repaired, it need to be maintained, and the owner doesn’t do it.”

Global News reached out to Waterford Developments for an interview but did not receive a response by deadline.

In an email shared with Global News by McCowan, the lawyer for Waterford asserts the repairs are the responsibility of JD Shore and they would “recover any and all costs incurred” if they do the repairs.

For Chiu and McCowan, they just want the problem fixed.

“It’s not fair, it’s not our fault, and we want Waterford Developments to do something about this and to fix this problem,” said McCowan.

“Because right now as I’m standing here, I’m having a real issue with the smell. Not sure if you can smell it or not yourself, but it’s pretty darn gross.”

— with a file from Global News’ Rebecca Lau