Excavation work allowed rats to enter the Santa Cabrini Hospital in Montreal, which had to deal for a year with the recurring presence of rodents in its kitchen and cafeteria.
According to inspection reports obtained by our Bureau of Investigation, the presence of rats was observed by employees or exterminators on at least 11 occasions in 2023. During this period, exterminators intervened on more than 40 occasions in the hospital for vermin problems.
“Emergency for rat seen in the kitchen”, “a rat in the cafeteria”, “the rat problem persists” are among the disturbing observations collected in the exterminators’ reports.
A rat captured at Santa Cabrini Hospital.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CIUSSS-DE-L’EST-DE-L’ÎLE-DE-MONTRÉAL.
Cracked drain
According to the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, excavation work on a site aimed at modernizing the hospital contributed to the presence of vermin in the kitchen.
Excavation work, which took place in spring 2023, contributed to the proliferation of rats in the kitchen of Santa Cabrini Hospital, says the health establishment.
Facebook CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal
“When this vermin is disturbed, it tries to migrate to other places,” explains Luc Fortin, spokesperson for the health establishment.
In addition, according to the reports obtained, the obsolescence of the building also played a role.
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“The drain is cracked and allows the entry of rats. Once in the pipe, the rats can come out into the drains of the kitchen and various premises,” explained Axon exterminator Pascal Bélanger last March in one of his reports.
The exterminator deplores that a drain was not covered, which could have allowed the introduction of rats into the kitchen.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CIUSSS-DE-L’EST-DE-L’ÎLE-DE-MONTRÉAL.
The latter also criticized a lack of care in certain preventive behaviors, such as doors left open, food accessible to rodents and poor housekeeping.
Mice and ants
Furthermore, rats were not the only problem noted by the exterminator. Mice were observed in the kitchen, as well as their droppings “under the sink”. Several treatments against ants also had to be applied.
Food debris on the floor would help attract vermin into the kitchen, according to the exterminator who inspected the premises.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CIUSSS-DE-L’EST-DE-L’ÎLE-DE-MONTRÉAL.
In recent weeks, our Investigation Office has uncovered vermin issues in several health establishments in Montreal. The Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, did not hesitate to comment on the situation, saying on the airwaves of 98.5 FM that “it has no [mot censuré] common sense.”
For its part, the CIUSSS-de-l’Est-de-l’île-de-Montréal does not consider that the presence of rats in Santa Cabrini is a major issue, but recognizes a few “isolated events”. The situation would now be “under control”, we are assured.
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The health establishment also places the blame on the extermination company it has engaged in for most of 2023.
“We are now ensuring that we raise the requirements regarding the level of expertise of the extermination firms selected to prevent problems from continuing,” explained spokesperson Luc Fortin.
Despite the presence of rats, it ensures that the safety of users has not been compromised at any time.
Other disturbing cases in Montreal
There are reports from exterminators of rats traveling in the walls, mice and cockroaches in the kitchen and even the intrusion of a squirrel.
An exterminator reported having captured hundreds of cockroaches in the kitchen of the CHSLD in his traps during the year 2023.
Flies and ladybugs have been observed on several occasions in recent years in the operating theater of the Sacré-Cœur Hospital in Montreal, a place which nevertheless requires the strictest standards of health.