MONTREAL — The death of a three-year-old girl after a bouncy castle was lifted into the air by strong winds in Montreal over the weekend has prompted some equipment rental companies to criticize the absence of oversight for inflatable structures in Quebec.

Eleven people were injured when a bouncy castle and a tent were tossed by strong winds during a local church event in Montreal’s LaSalle borough on May 31. Environment Canada recorded wind speeds of up to 50 kilometres per hour that day.

Amusement rides like carousels are subject to the province’s Construction Code and Safety Code and are regulated by Quebec’s Régie du bâtiment — the provincial agency that oversees construction of buildings and other facilities. But inflatable play structures are exempt from the regulator’s jurisdiction.

Industry representatives in Quebec say the absence of provincial rules leaves safety largely in the hands of rental companies and customers.

“There are no laws that we know of,” said Simon Bond, an employee of Événox, a company that rents event equipment. “There should probably be some. If there were regulations, it would probably mean there would be fewer accidents.”

Asked why such structures are not regulated, the office of Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet, who oversees the provincial regulatory agency, said that “the law is different from province to province.”

The regulator did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Boulet’s office also highlighted recommendations from Health Canada, which advises operators of inflatable structures to securely anchor them to the ground to prevent them from moving, tipping over, or lifting into the air.

Unlike Quebec, Nova Scotia has a regulatory framework for inflatable amusement devices. The province’s Amusement Devices Safety Act covers bouncy castles and similar attractions used at both public functions and private parties.

The province requires owners to obtain annual licences and operators to complete mandatory training.

Since 2001, Ontario has required permits for most inflatable amusement devices through the Technical Standards and Safety Authority, including ”bouncy castles, boxing rings with inflated floors and crawl-throughs,” said TSSA communication adviser Gray Chan.

The regulator exempts bouncy castles used exclusively at private homes, but specifies that churches, schools, and parks are not considered private residences, even during a private event.

Bond said rental companies can provide equipment and instructions, but cannot ensure customers follow them.

“Our role is to properly inform our clients of the risks,” he said.

“We give our clients all the material necessary to properly secure the structure to the ground. We make them sign a waiver, but after that, there’s nothing we can do. We can’t force people to do it.”

Bond added that companies such as his also face competition from individuals advertising inflatable structures on Facebook Marketplace.

“Anyone can rent inflatable equipment at a lower cost,” he said. In such cases, Bond emphasized that the renters are on their own to determine the safety of the structure.

Cathy Denis, owner of Le Bubble Club, an inflatable-structure rental company in Brownsburg, Que., said her company will not install or operate inflatable attractions when forecast wind speeds exceed 38 kilometres per hour.

“Above this speed, the risk of an inflatable structure being destabilized or lifted by gusts increases significantly,” Denis said.

She explained that inflatable structures are vulnerable to strong wind gusts since they have a large surface area.

“Even if the wind is not strong when you’re installing the structure, a sudden increase in wind gusts can make an inflatable structure unstable and dangerous,” she said.

Denis said her employees handle the installation of all inflatable structures rented by the company.

Montreal’s fire department says it has recommendations and requirements related to inflatable structures, but those measures are limited to fire prevention.

“The incident in LaSalle had nothing to do with fire safety,” the department’s communications office said.

The department said that it can recommend inflatable structures be secured according to manufacturers’ instructions, but added that ”we don’t have any regulations related to this in the fire department.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2026.

Charlotte Glorieux, The Canadian Press