Lively clothing store waiting for insurance 8 months later

Lively's Jean Country still closed 8 months after a fire; owner waiting for an insurance payment as another local shop helps sell stock.

The owner of a clothing store located in the Greater Sudbury community of Lively has been waiting more than eight months for his insurance payout after a fire.

Jean Country owner Kyle Hoddy told CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca in an interview Thursday a commercial air cleaner he purchased for the store caught fire Sept. 5, 2024.

While there was no fire damage, he said every piece of inventory was smoke damaged.

“The insurance insisted on removing all of our damaged goods from the store,” Hoddy said.

“It went into storage, and it’s just been a long wait ever since to have the insurance company pay us so we could pay our suppliers and pay our landlord, who has been waiting for payment, pay our staff.”

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The store owner said he had coverage to cover the lost items as well as pay his staff while shop was closed but has yet to see any money to cover any of his expenses.

“They’re a huge company. We never were told what the next steps would be, when we’d get payment, when we would reopen,” Hoddy said.

“I worked for an insurance company for 17 years and what we were always told is when there’s been an insurance claim, the goal of the insurance company is to get you back to where you were.”

Insurance company response

CTV News reached out to his insurance company Wawanesa Insurance and received a statement from spokesperson Michel Rosset, which said in part:

“Wawanesa’s priority as a mutual insurance company is to help our members access the financial benefits available from their insurance policy following a loss event. We’re committed to managing claims fairly and efficiently. Sometimes our members disagree with our decisions.”

Rosset said the company has a “transparent” escalation process outlined in its brochure and online.

“If members are unable to resolve their concerns through this process, they may contact the Office of the Ombudsman for an independent review,” he said.

"We take our obligation to protect the interests and privacy of our members seriously. For this reason, we do not publicly comment on the specifics of any claim.”

‘The insurance company has to do better’

Hoddy said he has been a retail business owner for 24 years in Espanola and Lively.

He said his customers continue to ask when the store will reopen.

“We’ve had so much support from our customers,” Hoddy said.

“The reason I reached out to CTV … is because one of the last posts I put on our Facebook page, over 15,000 people read it in a matter of hours. People want us. People are following us. People want this resolved. The insurance company has to do better.”

When local boutique owner Stefanie Turpin heard what had happened to Jean Country, she offered to help.

Little Town Boutique in Capreol is now selling the inventory Hoddy had in storage.

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“This is a great opportunity for them to come and support him,” Turpin said.

“By browsing through our store … it’s small business supporting another small business.”

Hoddy said he appreciates the help.

“It’s really nice to see people in the same type of business helping each other out at this time,” he said.

“(Stephanie) feels our pain and just wants to help us out and get us open again.”

Even if the insurance company paid the claim today, Hoddy said the earliest the store could reopen is spring 2026.

Meantime, he said he will continue to do everything he can to fight to get the doors back open as soon as possible.