Residents in Montreal’s West Island are scrambling after a popular snow-removal company unexpectedly shuttered and ceased operations ahead of a major snowfall in southern Quebec.
Bo Pelouse’s website and social media pages are mostly down as of Monday morning. The company, which is located in Pointe-Claire, can also not be reached by phone and its voicemail is full.
Marc Guindon, the owner of Bo Pelouse, issued a statement on the website on Monday afternoon to confirm the closure and publicly apologize to customers left in the lurch.
“For the last four years the company was struggling but I was always able to get it back on track,” he said. “I was still in discussions and trying to find a solution yesterday but with negative outcome. It became then painfully evident that I could not this time.”
In his statement, Guindon said he understands that people are angry and disappointed, but that he is hurt by the comments being made on social media.
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“Things being posted about me taking huge amounts of money to go live abroad are false,” he wrote. “As these comments are being posted I am losing all that I have worked for those 30 years.”
Bo Pelouse going out of business comes as Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for a large swath of the province, including the greater Montreal area. The weather agency says the storm will descend on Monday afternoon and up to 25 centimetres of snow is expected by Tuesday evening.
Longtime clients are trying to find alternatives as winter weather descends on the area. Chris McCunn, a client of Bo Pelouse for the past 10 years, said he feels bad for everyone impacted by the situation.
“We will get shovels out,” he said, adding he was sad to hear a small business was closing down. “We will be OK.”
Sylvie Hurtubise told Global News she had been a client for four years and she was satisfied with Bo Pelouse’s services. She said she was shocked to learn it was no longer in business.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she said.
DLC, a snow-removal company in the area, said it is accepting new clients but warns it has been dealing with an influx of calls throughout the day.
Global News has contacted Bo Pelouse, but the company cannot be reached for comment.
— With files from Global News’ Brayden Jagger Haines
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