The Calgary day care chain at the centre of last year’s massive E. coli outbreak has shuttered one of its locations due to a case of the potentially fatal food-borne illness.
A notice posted on the door of Fueling Brains Academy’s West 85th Campus states a single case of the infection was detected late Wednesday in a one-year-old child and that the location has been shut through Friday.
It also said there’s no evidence the infection originated at the campus or that it has spread to others.
“We are closing the West 85th campus to allow for deep cleaning and to ensure the safety and well being of our students and staff,” states the notice.
“We promptly reached out to Alberta Health Services and are awaiting further guidance from them.”
It’s also advising parents with children who attend the location not to take them to other daycares and to avoid Friday’s Calgary Stampede Parade.
There’s no word on the child’s condition.
The City of Calgary said it issued 12 charges against Fueling Minds – which health officials have noted as the likely root cause of the outbreak – and the kitchen operation’s two directors, Faisal Alimohd and Anil Karim, under the city’s Business Licensing Bylaw for operating without a business licence.
The kitchen is associated with Fueling Brains Academy which had six of its locations and those of five other day cares closed last September amid an E. coli outbreak – one of the largest in Canadian history – which saw more than 350 people, mostly children, falling ill -some of them requiring hospitalization.
Following an investigation, ASH officials have said they believe the outbreak stemmed from meat loaf served by fueling mind on Aug. 29, 2023.
Fueling Brains Academy didn’t respond to a request for an interview Thursday morning.
Following those outbreaks, the UCP government said it was creating a third-party panel, led by former Calgary police chief Rick Hanson, to take a “broader look at the legislation and regulations that govern food safety in our province.”
The panel was also to feature parents, child care and food service operators, and food safety and public health experts.
It was originally expected to deliver an interim report on its findings at the end of 2023.
-with files from Michael Rodriguez
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