Why the Bluesfest stage collapsed, and could again

Investigators are going over the wreckage at Ottawa’s Bluesfest to find out why the main stage collapsed in a windstorm Sunday evening.
At least three people were hurt. Festival organizers say all are out of the hospital.

The same storm is blamed for the drowning deaths of two men in Quebec and widespread power outages in Ontario and Quebec.

Environment Canada meteorologist Dave Phillips says winds that took down the Bluesfest stage may have felt like a freak weather occurrence. But extreme weather is a fact of life in Canada.

Phillips told the Globe and Mail newspaper that  Southern Ontario alone can expect to get hundreds of squall lines and microbursts every year, especially as temperatures rise, as expected later this month. He says such weather is very much part of the Canadian landscape in the summertime.

The Globe and Mail reports that two years ago, a similar burst of intensely powerful wind hit the Big Valley Jamboree in Alberta moments before Kevin Costner and his country band Modern West were about to take the stage. When that stage toppled, a falling speaker killed one person in the audience.

The incident prompted a review by Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety. The  newspaper reports that the review is complete, but not yet released. Prosecutors are deciding whether to lay charges against the Jamboree concert organizers or the company that provided the stage. The Globe and Mail  reports that they have until the end of the month to make up their minds.

The Bluesfest main stage came from Montreal-based Mega Brands. It is reportedly designed to withstand winds of up to 80 kilometers an hour. But Environment Canada says winds on Sunday evening were up to 96 kilometers – or 60 miles per hour.