In an odd coincidence, Vancouver-based real estate developer Bosa Development recently became the subject of two civil lawsuits, filed within a week of each other, that both pertain to trip-and-fall incidents having occurred in April 2024 at the same site in Port Moody.
The site of both incidents was the Newport Village mixed-use community that was constructed by Bosa Development — which has no corporate relationship to Bosa Properties — between the late-90s and early-aughts. Newport Village is located along Newport Drive in Port Moody, just north of Guildford Way and the Millennium Line SkyTrain’s Inlet Centre Station.
The first civil suit was filed on February 19 by an individual named Margaret Gosselin. According to a Notice of Civil Claim filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia that was obtained by STOREYS, Gosselin says the incident occurred on April 29, 2024 around 2:30 pm, when “the Plaintiff was a customer walking in a careful and prudent manner in the bank when she slipped and fell on a floor mat that was curled at its edges, thereby sustaining personal injuries, damages and other losses”
The second civil suit was filed on February 24 by an individual named Nancy McCurrach, who is explicitly identified in the court filing as a city councillor that resides in Port Coquitlam. According to McCurrach’s Notice of Civil Claim, the incident occurred on April 17, 2024, when “the plaintiff was walking towards the stores located at the Premises when she tripped on a loose and uneven paving stone forming part of the Sidewalk, causing her to fall to the ground.”
Gosselin’s claim cites 218 Newport Drive as the site where her incident occurred, while McCurrach cites 205 Newport Drive. The two parcels are located across the street from one another at the intersection with Ioco Road and the legal owner of both properties is Bosa Development Group Inc.
Gosselin’s incident occurred at a local branch of the Royal Bank of Canada, which is also listed as a defendant in the suit, alongside the City of Port Moody. Councillor McCurrach’s incident occurred on the sidewalk in front of the Newport Professional Centre at the corner of Newport Drive and Ioco Road, just across the street from the RBC. Her civil claim also lists two unidentified companies and two unidentified individuals as defendants.
In both cases, the plaintiffs are alleging “negligence” that ultimately resulted in personal injury. Gosselin claims she suffered injuries to her elbow, forearm, and shoulder, as well as a laceration to her eyebrow, adding that she is also now suffering from back pain; while Councillor McCurrach claims she suffered injuries to her neck, shoulders, back, knee, elbow, and wrist, in addition to a concussion.
Both Gosselin and McCurrach are seeking damages for medical expenses and loss of earning capacity, among other things.
In both cases, Bosa Development has yet to file a response to the civil claim. STOREYS reached out to Bosa Development and Councillor Nancy McCurrach on Friday, February 28, but has not received a response from either party.