Alberta premier orders review of shared kitchens in Calgary as hundreds of kids sick with E. coli

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said a central kitchen believed to be linked to an E. coli outbreak in Calgary that has made hundreds of children sick has been closed indefinitely, and she has ordered a review of all shared kitchensthat serve daycares in the city.

Smith also said she will be offering a one-time payment of $2,000 to parents of children who have been affected by the outbreak, and called on the affected daycares to reimburse parents for any fees incurred while the children were unable to attend daycare.

"I assure you we will get to the bottom of this, we will identify the cause, and we will put in place the necessary measures to ensure this does not happen again."

This comes after an outbreak of the shiga toxin-producing E. coli, which can cause serious issues. The outbreak has sent children to hospital and some are on dialysis after developing hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a disease which affects the kidneys.

Health officials have said it's likely the source of the outbreak is linked to a shared kitchen that provided food to the affected daycares, but the cause of the outbreak remains unidentified.

Smith became emotional during the media conference Friday, and said the only comfort she can offer is that each sick child is getting the best possible care.

"It's unimaginable pain and I'm heartbroken by what these families are going through."

She said there needs to be new regulations and standards around central kitchens that serve child-care centres, and the province has started a review of those kitchens, led by the Minister of Children and Family Services Searle Turton.

Smith said Turton will bring forward any suggested changes he has.

"We want to make sure that parents understand who are in the similar situation that the inspections are taking place, that the standards are extraordinarily high, and that there is zero tolerance for any kind of poor food handling practices that can lead to this."

In an environmental inspection report of the kitchen at KidsU Centennial - Fueling Minds Inc.the shared kitchen used by the daycares believed to be connected to the outbreakAHS detailed major health issues, including cockroach infestations and unsafe food handlingon Sept. 5, the date of the inspection, which happened the day after the outbreak was declared.

AHS said the inspection also found instances of food not being handled in a manner that makes it safe to eat, and a lack of appropriate equipment for keeping food cold during transportation.

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'The focus of everyone involved in this situation is to help these kids get better,' said Dr. Mark Joffe at a press conference on Friday.

The report shows other violations cited on a number of dates ahead of the September inspection, including repeat violations regarding the kitchen's dishwasher.

Dr. Mark Joffe, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, said he understands concerns from parents about why the central kitchen was allowed to continue to operate after a number of violations, but said under the Public Health Act, AHS does not have the ability to permanently close a food-handling facility unless critical violations continue to exist.

"There were concerns about this facility and our public health inspectors more than doubled their visits. The last routine inspection of the kitchen happened in late April 2023," Joffe said.

He said two infractions were found at that time, and they were corrected by the end of the day.

"I certainly acknowledge that this is all cold comfort to the parents of children who fell ill. I am not trying to make excuses for this operator in any way, but the inspectors did their job."

Smith said she will also take a look at whetherthere is a need for statutory change regarding how kitchens are operated.

"If [Joffe] doesn't have the authority to close the kitchen and keep it closed, I certainly don't have the authority to close it and keep it closed. Someone should have that authority," Smithsaid.

Joffe said the outbreak remains very serious, but they are "heartened" by the fact that the number of patients in hospital has stabilized.

As of Friday there were 337 lab-confirmed cases of E. coli in connection with the outbreak. Ten patients have HUS and six are receiving dialysis.

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There are also 26 secondary transmission cases in households linked to the outbreak. Additionally, there was one child who has tested positive for E. coliwho did not attend one of the implicated daycares.

Joffe said that childsaw symptomsappearover the September long weekend.

In an statementAHSsaid it has issued a closure order to an additional daycarein Calgary JCC Childcare and is following up with families after a child tested positive for E. coli.

"AHS is in contact with the family to further investigate to determine if this is linked to the Fueling Brains outbreak. Further review will look to confirm if there is a connection," the statement read.

"AHS is communicating directly with families of this new daycare, Calgary JCC Childcare, informing them that a case of STEC E. coli in their daycare is being investigated and provide them with guidance on monitoring for symptoms and direction on seeking clinical care and testing for those with symptoms."

A spokesperson for Calgary JCC Childcare said they believe the single case resulted froma child in their daycare having an interaction with a child who attended one of the affected Fueling Brains locations.

ExecutivedirectorRhona Shore said immediately after learning of the positive test, theynotified all of theirparents and immediately closed theirdaycare.

"Currently, there are no additional cases and all our child-care families have been provided with testing kits and will test prior to us re-opening our daycare doors," she said.

"We are staying close in touch with the impacted child's family and wish them a swift recovery."

AHS expects cases will continue to grow as lab results come back.

The press conference comes a day after a number of parents with sick kids sent a letter to the premier, where they addressed Smith's previous lack of public comment in the days following the outbreak. They also asked about what the province will do to respond to the situation.

John Greenhow's child is still recovering from E. coli. He said it was a "helpless" situation.

He said the payment from the province might not be enough financial compensation for all the affected families, as some have had to miss large stretches of work, but added that he thinks it's a step in the right direction.

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John Greenhow, whose child received treatment at an Alberta hospital after contracting E. coli, says his child is improving, but he's frustrated at the lack of answers after a 'frightening and confusing' and 'really heartbreaking' experience.

"I want to see follow through surrounding an examination of regulations that are not serving the most vulnerable and innocent people in our population, the children that are eating from these kitchens," Greenhow said.

A day earlier the premier had said she's not ruling anything out including a public inquiry when it comes to finding out exactly how the outbreak occurred and the emergency unfolded.

Greenhow said he thinks a public inquiry is the right level of scrutiny and visibility for the incident.

Eleven daycares were closed as the result of the outbreak, due to their links to the shared kitchen, however four of those daycares were not affected by the outbreak.

All of thosedaycares have since been permitted to reopen by AHS.

Several of the daycares affected are run by Fueling Brains, whichshares "similar ownership" with Fueling Minds, the shared kitchen, but is a separate entity,according to an official withFueling Brains.

Fueling Brains posted about the centres' reopening on social media Friday.

"As we reopen our campuses, we recognize that entrusting us with your children is a big decision. We remain dedicated to your children's education and will work each and every day to re-establish trust with the families that we serve," the series of posts attributed to co-founderFaisal Alimohd read in part.

"We are working on a parent-friendly solution that could involve extending credits, providing refunds, and/or waiving terminations for those impacted families."