Cockroaches, rat droppings and raw chicken scraps in the kitchen: a CHSLD in eastern Montreal was reprimanded by city inspectors due to safety issues.
A report from the City of Montreal’s food inspection service paints a worrying portrait of food preparation areas at the public CHSLD Pierre-Joseph-Triest, which manages 273 beds in Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
Inspector Marie-Claude Mercier says in particular that she observed “rat droppings on the shelf in the compartment under the sink in the pastry section” and a “significant presence of small flies which fly and land on the preparation and serving areas.” washing,” we can read in a September 2022 report, obtained thanks to the law on access to public documents.
The inspection by the City of Montreal’s Environmental Department also highlights the presence of a “dead cockroach” and another “live” one on the ground in the pastry section. A plastic cover also contains “juice slides” and “pieces of raw chicken”.
Photo Agence QMI, JOEL LEMAY
“Disgusting”
“Plastic with raw meat on it, I find it quite terrible and disgusting. It’s easy to fall ill quickly and seriously,” the daughter of one of the users, who preferred to keep her identity secret to avoid her parent experiencing reprisals, told our Bureau of Investigation.
The inspector also notes that cartons of milk are normally stored in a refrigerator whose temperature reaches 15 degrees Celsius, or around ten degrees higher than the health recommendation.
“Milk almost at room temperature disgusts me,” added this same person, saying she was troubled by several elements contained in the report we presented to her.
In light of its observations, the food inspection service issued a notice of non-compliance to the CHSLD, ordering it to correct the situation “immediately”.
Not unsanitary, says the CIUSSS
The CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal ensures that the kitchen at the CHSLD Pierre-Joseph-Triest is “currently healthy”. The inspector’s findings did not lead to the kitchen being closed and no fine was issued.
“The fact that the inspection service found an insect or signs of the presence of animal species does not mean that the food service is unsanitary,” assures Carl Boivert, spokesperson for the health establishment.
The CIUSSS ensures that it acts “at the first signs of a hygiene and sanitation problem”, whether in the kitchen or elsewhere in the building.
– With the collaboration of Maude Boutet