Circus show in limbo as City of Barrie approval goes down to the wire

Cirque de Paris in Barrie faces permit hurdles Cirque de Paris faced permit hurdles ahead of its anticipated 4-day stint at the Georgian Mall parking lot in Barrie.

The show will be going on after all for a circus group that's set to take over Georgian Mall this weekend, but it came down to a last-minute decision.

Publicized as a "spellbinding experience," performers from the French-based Cirque De Paris was left scrambling for a temporary building permit approval on Thursday.

"They asked for a certificate, which we provide, they say it's not enough so we just try our best," said Anouchka Bouglione, Cirque De Paris Show Producer. "We contacted the manufacturer in Italy from the tent, they provided us with all the documents and we hope that it would be enough for them to approve."

The city of Barrie said the group was without enough information to be approved for its building permit, even as time ticked down.

"Staff must do their due diligence to ensure all requirements of the permit are met, to ensure the safety of everyone involved with the event," read a statement from the City of Barrie.

Just before 5 p.m., the City confirmed to CTV News that a permit had been approved.

Cirque De Paris has over a century of circus-related history to its name, with seven generations of Bouglione's family performing throughout Europe.

Barrie is the first stop on its first-ever Canadian tour after it wrapped up its American leg of the tour in Buffalo, New York.

Thursday night's show is scheduled to take place under the big top at 7 p.m.  Six more shows are scheduled to take place in Barrie before it heads to Owen Sound next week.