“There’s really no words to describe how the last year has been.”

The adversity Katie Vogt, the owner of High River’s Cakery Bakery, has faced since the Highwood River breached its banks, would cause many a business owner to throw in the towel.

A scaled down version of the popular bakery was constructed in the basement of Katie’s home in southeast Calgary using insurance money to replace the items damaged in the 2013 flood or removed from her store by looters post-flood.

While the insurance payouts have helped the Cakery Bakery stay afloat in a makeshift location, a delayed cheque from Katie’s insurance company has jeopardized the likelihood the business will reopen its doors in downtown High River.

In June of this year, Katie was informed her next insurance cheque would be delayed. With the insurance advisory document in hand, the Cakery Bakery owner asked RBC for an extension on her next monthly payment towards her RBC held business loan.

According to Katie, RBC official said they would look into her request but, 10 days after the due date of her next payment, she received an email indicating her account had been transferred to BDO, RBC’s collection agent.

“There was no payment demand,” said Katie. “They never said ‘You have this many days to make a payment or else this is going to happen’. I was completely blindsided in terms of what they were going to do.”

When the delayed insurance cheque arrived in July, Katie gave BDO the funds to cover all past due amounts. She was told she needs to pay the entire amount of the loan, nearly $300,000, in full, in order to avoid foreclosure.

Katie was unable to pay the full amount and RBC filed for foreclosure in October.

CTV contacted RBC for further explanation on the financial institution’s decision to pursue foreclosure.

In a statement, RBC spokesperson Pamela Brown said:

"...several of our calls and emails went unanswered. We provided a payment extension to the client in June, and it is our strong desire to resolve this situation through meaningful discussions with our client."

The Cakery Bakery owner considers RBC’s approach to her predicament to be a disturbing blow to the ongoing rebuilding effort of businesses in High River’s downtown.

“You'd think that they would want the businesses to go back in there and to start thriving again and rebuild the community but it doesn't seem that's what they have in mind to accomplish," said Katie.

**UPDATE: Wednesday afternoon, Katie was contacted by RBC. The two sides are working diligently to reach a solution which is satisfactory for both parties.**

With files from CTV's Lea Williams-Doherty