$10 million class action lawsuit filed after Calgary E. coli outbreak

Legal proceedings in the Calgary daycares E. coli outbreak have begun, after a $10 million class action lawsuit was filed Wednesday.

The first phase of legal action resulting from the outbreak began Wednesday with a $10 million class action lawsuit filed on behalf of impacted families.

Law firms James H. Brown & Associates and sent their notice of claim to KidsU Centennial, operating as Fueling Brains Academy and Fueling Minds Incorporated, the commercial kitchen involved in the outbreak, which began on Sept. 4.

In a statement, Trent Brown from James H. Brown & Associates says legal action is the best way to ensure an event like this happens never again.

“We believe that all parties entrusted with the health and welfare of our children must be held to a very high standard,” he said. “After our investigation of this outbreak, it is clear they fell short of this standard. A class action is the best way to protect the rights of all those affected, ensure this standard is not breached again, and to obtain justice for all the families affected by this tragic outbreak.”

The defendants now have between 20 days and two months to respond, depending on where they were served.

Company facing charges from city

On Wednesday, the City of Calgary said it had charged the catering company at the centre of the outbreak for allegedly operating without a food services business license.

Fueling Minds is facing 12 charges and, if convicted, could face a fine of up to $120,000, according to the city.

The charges were issued after it was found that the company had been providing third party food services to five Calgary childcare centres that were not owned by the company, the city says.

It adds that officers began investigating the company once news of the E. coli outbreak broke.

Providing food services to the five Calgary childcare centres owned by other operations was outside the scope of the Fueling Minds Provincially licensed daycare business and required a City of Calgary business license.

A complaint about the services was also made via Calgary’s 311 service from a concerned member of the public, the city said.