Longueuil artist sues city after water main break damages artworks

A tearful Louise Rouleau watched crews cart off two containers of her water-damaged artwork Thursday, saying she felt like she was being “skinned alive.”

The local artist’s life’s work was damaged following a water main break in Longueuil last month.

Now, Rouleau is suing the City of Longueuil for undisclosed damages in the hopes of getting compensation for 500 lost paintings, sketches and drawings.

The 50-year-old water main broke on the corner of Belcourt and Boucher streets on June 20, flooding several homes and leaving almost 60 residences without running water.

Within 15 minutes of the break, Rouleau says her basement studio was underwater.

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After years of work, she had just started to show her work internationally.

READ MORE: Water main break in Longueuil devastates artist’s home

The area is still a work site one month later.

The City of Longueuil did not respond to Global News’ request for comment.

In the meantime, Rouleau has established a GoFundMe to cover the loss of materials so she can resume painting.