ONTARIO: Scarborough eatery probed after 1 dies, 36 sickened

09.oct.09
Toronto Star
Carmen Chai, Jennifer Yang

Thirty-six people are ill after eating at a Scarborough restaurant, and
authorities are investigating if one death is related to the cases.
Toronto Public Health closed Ruby Chinese Restaurant at 1571 Sandhurst
Circle, near Finch Ave. E. and McCowan Rd. on Wednesday, after 18 cases
were confirmed as salmonella poisoning, with three people in hospital.
The other 18 cases are being investigated. Health officials say there
may be more.
The victims are mostly from the Greater Toronto Area, with a handful
from York Region, and one from Windsor.
Health officials say word of the first cases trickled into Toronto
Public Health on Sept. 23 and inspectors conducted a preliminary
investigation of the restaurant on Sept. 28. The food poisoning is
believed to have happened between Sept. 12 and Sept. 20.
Howard Shapiro, Toronto's associate medical officer of health, said
poultry, such as chicken or duck, was the "leading candidate" being
considered. The man who died in hospital "likely" had salmonella from
eating at the restaurant, but Shapiro said Toronto Public Health did not
have information to determine the exact cause of death.
He would not identify the man, but said he was over the age of 65.
Shapiro said health officials found several infractions in Wednesday's
inspection that forced the restaurant to close. "Certain foods were not
being protected from contamination," Shapiro said.
Inspectors also noticed raw meat wasn't kept at the correct temperature,
and utensils and cooking surfaces were inadequately cleaned. There was
also a cockroach infestation and the floor was "dirtier than we would
find acceptable."
A man named Pat Yeung answered the phone, at the restaurant, identifying
himself as a waiter. He said staff and managers were busy cleaning the
restaurant, washing the floors and doing "ordinary cleaning."
Yeung said he has worked at the restaurant for 15 years and it has never
had any problems.
"That's the first time (this has) happened," he said. "We don't know
what happened."