Business owners and residents in Calgary's Montgomery neighbourhood are expressing deep frustration after a major water main break on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, forced the closure of a key artery and disrupted operations on what is typically one of the busiest days of the year.
A Grim Repeat for Local Commerce
For Jasvinder Kullar, owner of BK Liquor, the scene was painfully familiar. Standing in his nearly empty store on New Year's Eve, he gazed out at a desolate 16th Avenue N.W., closed to traffic from Home Road west to Sarcee Trail. This rupture occurred less than 18 months after a similar incident near his business.
"It's my busiest day of the year and I've had two customers," said an exasperated Kullar. He revealed the financial impact is compounding, stating, "I lost so many customers last time, I haven't even recovered from the last water main break." While choosing not to assign blame, Kullar summed up his resignation: "You try not to blame anyone, it is what it is."
Boiling Frustration on a Lucrative Day
At nearby Pazzer's Pub, manager Sabrina Lawlor was also confronting a major disruption. The establishment faced a double whammy: a loss of foot and vehicle traffic due to the road closure, and the added cost and inconvenience of a boil water advisory imposed by the city.
"I've gotten texts from people since 8 p.m. last night wondering if we'll be open," Lawlor said. She questioned the extent of the road closure and noted the advisory would hike her costs for soft drinks and bottled water. The repeat of the crisis had her feeling helpless. "I don't know – all of a sudden this is happening again…we've played this game," she said. "I'd like to fix it if I could."
Empty Roads and Lingering Concerns
The sentiment echoed along the shuttered corridor. Liam Nguyen, owner of Now Nails and Spa at the intersection of Home Road and 16th Avenue N.W., voiced a common fear among business owners: the potential for a complete water shutoff. City officials assured this was not imminent, but the visible damage was enough. "It looks so sad to see the road empty," Nguyen said. "Hopefully they can fix it quickly."
At Allan's Flowers, the owner, who gave only her first name Heather, shook her head at another costly disruption. She speculated whether vibrations from nearby construction projects could have contributed to the pipe failure and criticized the city's priorities. "They should concentrate on fixing these (water mains) before they do all of this development," she said.
The December 31st break has left a community of small businesses, still financially wounded from a previous infrastructure failure, facing an uncertain start to the new year and demanding more resilient solutions from civic authorities.
