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Beaudry v. City of Montreal (Pierrefonds-Roxboro Borough) and City of Montreal - application

Filing Year For Action

Beaudry v. City of Montreal (Pierrefonds-Roxboro Borough) and City of Montreal is a proposed class action filed in the Superior Court of Quebec on behalf of all persons whose movable or immovable property in the Borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro was damaged by flooding during an extreme rainfall event on June 20, 2026. The application alleges that approximately 100–170 mm of rain fell over a period of a few hours, overwhelming local drainage systems and causing extensive flooding of streets, homes, and vehicles. The plaintiff claims that many residences suffered significant water infiltration, including severe basement flooding. The proposed class consists of property owners and lessees affected by the flood, part of an estimated 1,000–1,500 households impacted across Montreal’s West Island.

The plaintiff alleges that the Borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro and the City of Montreal negligently caused or exacerbated the flooding by failing to adequately prepare for, manage, and mitigate foreseeable extreme rainfall events. Specifically, the claim alleges that the defendants failed to increase stormwater storage capacity before the storm, failed to install or expand flood-adaptation infrastructure such as sponge parks, retention facilities, reservoirs, and catch basins, failed to undertake adequate emergency response measures during the flooding, and failed to upgrade and maintain aging sewer and drainage systems. 

The application further alleges that these failures occurred despite the defendants’ knowledge that climate change has increased the frequency and intensity of concentrated rainfall events. According to the claim, municipal authorities were aware that Pierrefonds-Roxboro's topography makes it particularly vulnerable to surface-water accumulation and had been on notice since the severe flooding associated with the remnants of Hurricane Debby in August 2024 that existing drainage infrastructure could not adequately handle major rainfall events. The plaintiff contends that the municipalities failed to implement appropriate adaptation measures despite being aware of these climate-related risks.

The plaintiff seeks compensatory damages for property demolition, disinfection, repairs and reconstruction, replacement of damaged personal property and vehicles, diminished property value, increased insurance costs, alternative living expenses, and health impacts associated with mold, fungus, and contamination. The plaintiff also seeks damages for pain and suffering, stress and anxiety, loss of enjoyment of life, punitive damages under the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, and injunctive relief requiring the defendants to undertake works aimed at preventing future flooding.


Beaudry v. City of Montreal (Pierrefonds-Roxboro Borough) and City of Montreal

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Beaudry v. City of Montreal (Pierrefonds-Roxboro Borough) and City of Montreal - application

Policy instrument

Risk

Just transition

Economic sector

Adaptation/resilience

Finance