More than 70 people fell ill following a party at the Lac Carling Hotel last weekend.
On Saturday evening, the Argenteuil Chamber of Commerce organized its annual gala of excellence in a reception hall at the Hôtel des Laurentides. For the main meal, the 316 participants had the choice between forest chicken, beef scoter or mushroom ravioli.
“We had a great evening, but on Sunday followingnoon people started calling and texting me to tell me they weren’t were feeling truly not. One case, two cases, three cases… following four, I realized that something was wrong,” says Marie-Josée Lapierre, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce.
The organizer of the event, which aims to reward entrepreneurs, immediately notified the authorities. An inspector from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec (MAPAQ) went to the hotel in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge to take samples and take the temperature of the refrigerators and food.
The Public Health Department of the Laurentians sent a questionnaire to all of the 300 participants in the evening in order to identify the cases and measure the extent of what appears to be food poisoning.
“To date, out of 186 respondents, just over 70 people have had short-term symptoms resembling gastroenteritis. No hospitalizations have been reported to Public Health,” says Martine Cournoyer, communications advisor at the CISSS des Laurentides.
Suspicions hang over the scoter
The restaurant at the Lac Carling hotel has never been condemned for unsanitary conditions, according to Luc Hébert, the establishment’s catering director. “Since Saturday, MAPAQ has come twice and completed inspections of fridges and work surfaces. Their tests revealed nothing abnormal.
We are questioning. Did something go wrong with the cooking or cooling protocols? Is it something that comes from outside?
Luc Hébert, catering director of the Lac Carling hotel
Mr. Hébert also says that the investigation is particularly complex since some of the merchants who were present at the gala evening also offered food – such as cretons – for tasting.
Anyway, laboratory results should allow inspectors to pinpoint the cause of the many bloating next week. However, suspicions hang over the dish of beef scoter with red wine sauce, mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables, says Ms.me Stone.
“The big common factor at the moment is beef scoter,” she explains. “On a table of eleven, nine ate the scoter and they all got sick. The other two chose the chicken and they are fine. »
Doubts regarding provenance
The director of the Argenteuil Chamber of Commerce, however, avoids pointing the finger at the hotel. She recalls that a supplier might also be the source of the food that poisoned so many people.
Mme Lapierre also ordered the red meat dish herself, but she was not sick. It’s that she barely had time to taste her meal, she says. “I was also hosting the party, so I only ate two or three bites. Afterwards, I tell myself that it was a good deal to skip the main course, ”says the one who says she is sorry for the gala participants who fell ill.
The MAPAQ confirms for its part that an investigation is underway. “Steps are continuing to ensure that the situation is well defined and that measures have been put in place to protect those present,” said Yohan Dallaire Boily, public relations officer at the Ministry.