Cavalia declares bankruptcy

Two horses with Cavalia are pictured in the training ring under the white tent in Toronto during preparations on Thursday, March 26, 2015 for the opening of the Odysseo show on April 8. (The Canadian Press/Chris Young)

The Cavalia group, renowned for its equestrian shows, is declaring bankruptcy as it accumulates significant debts.

The various companies owned by Cavalia founder Normand Latourelle filed for bankruptcy at the end of April through insolvency trustee Raymond Chabot.

These entities are Illumi Productions, Centre de création Cavalia and PNL Productions Hivernales, in addition to the parent company Cavalia.

According to documents submitted to the Superior Court and obtained by The Canadian Press, the group’s debts to its creditors total more than $28 million.

The main creditors include Caisse Desjardins du Plateau-Mont-Royal, which is demanding $10.4 million, and Investissement Québec, which has $4.4 million to repay.

The Montreal-based group also owes $3.5 million to the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles and $1.8 million to Canada Economic Development.

Creditors’ meetings are scheduled for May 12. The purpose of these meetings is to explain to creditors the reasons behind the insolvency of the group’s various entities.

In addition to equestrian shows, Cavalia set up the ‘Illumi’ project in Laval in 2019. This was a multimedia trail featuring various light structures and exploring different themes.

The experiment came to an end in January 2024 when the agreement allowing the company to operate on the site, located on the edge of Autoroute 15 and owned by the City of Laval, was not extended.

Last year, the city turned to the courts to force Cavalia to vacate the site of its remaining facilities.

The Journal de Montréal, which first reported the news of the bankruptcy on Monday, shared a written statement from Mr Latourelle.

“The broken promises of recent years have hurt us. [...] This is why we are experiencing the current situation, which is taking place against our will, with great sadness,” Cavalia’s founder and artistic director told the daily.

Latourelle also pointed out that less than 1 per cent of the company’s revenue comes from subsidies. “Instead, we are forced to finance ourselves with our own funds and with loans that are too expensive,” he said.

The company launched its first eponymous show in 2003 and then a second in 2011, entitled “Odysséo.” Both have been performed around the world.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 5, 2025.