Alberta Premier Danielle Smith fought back tears when speaking about the relief the provincial government will be providing to people affected by the E. coli outbreak at various Calgary daycare centres. .“What’s believed to have happened was a violation of food safety standards in a shared kitchen and undoubtedly a violation of parents’ faith in the system,” said Smith at a Friday press conference. .“When people trust their child to someone else, they expect their child will receive the best possible care.” .To support the families affected by these outbreaks in these daycares, Smith said they will receive a one-time compassion payment of $2,000 per child. The goal is to get the money to the parents as soon as possible. .While the Alberta government is providing this financial support, it expects the daycares to recognize the hardship that has been caused and reimburse families for the days children have spent out of care..It will work with the centres that are closed and collaborate with other ones to identify new spaces for those looking to move their children. .So far 337 people have been affected by the outbreak, as of Friday. Twelve of them remain hospitalized. .Six children are receiving dialysis. One child who went to a different daycare has developed a secondary case. .Smith said families “are watching in anguish, watching their children suffer from a preventable cause.” She added they are afraid of what the outcome will be for their children’s health. .She said what these families are going through is heartbreaking. The emotions overwhelmed her, leading to her choking up and pausing. .She thanked the healthcare workers who are doing whatever they can to treat these children. While she would love to know what the cause is, the investigation is ongoing, adding the government understands this situation has put families under stress..Smith said the kitchen believed to be responsible is closed indefinitely. .“There’s no answer to (how long that is) until we get to the bottom of the investigation,” she said. .She said she needed answers. Under the Public Health Act, a closure order is issued under Section 29 by the chief medical officer of health. .Therefore, she said hearing from politicians should not be the first priority. .All signs are pointing to the kitchen and the government will conduct a review of all of those that serve daycares and will make changes if needed. .Smith concluded by saying the love and care of all Albertans “comes through strong in the most difficult circumstances. That is happening now. .“That’s how we’ll get through this,” she said. .Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Mark Joffe said he was not intending to minimize the situation when he spoke about it on Tuesday. .“This has been an extremely anxious and difficult time for many people, particularly young children and their parents,” said Joffe. .“As a father, I understand the fear, anger and deep concern they are feeling.” .If Joffe’s comments did not convey that, he apologized. He said the response to the outbreak has been swift from the start. .The number of cases of E. coli in Calgary daycares climbed on September 6 as health officials scrambled to contain an outbreak that sickened dozens of young children..READ MORE: Dozens of E. coli cases at Calgary daycare centres, 15 kids in hospital.AHS issued closure orders for 11 separate daycare facilities “until issues are resolved.”."Families with children attending any of the locations listed below have been sent letters advising of the outbreak and are being asked to monitor for symptoms," said AHS. .AHS said on Tuesday two live adult cockroaches were observed on the sides of stainless steel equipment in the shared kitchen used by Calgary daycares dealing with an E. coli outbreak. .READ MORE: AHS confirms cockroaches found in kitchen of daycare with E. coli outbreak.“The tin cat traps by the two separate two-compartment sinks had at least 20 cockroaches on the sticky pads each,” it said. .It asked the shared kitchen to provide a pest control report demonstrating further treatments have been made and that the infestation has been abated. It will require it to ensure a pest control plans includes preventative measures to stop the spread of cockroaches into the daycares.
