Quebec LD victims seek CA$6m

CANADA: Victims of a legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Quebec in 2013 have launched a class action seeking up to CA$6m (€4.34m) against those responsible.

In Canada’s largest outbreak, between July 18 and October 8, 2012, 181 cases of legionellosis was reported in the Quebec City area, 14 of which proved fatal.

The source of the outbreak was eventually narrowed down to the Complexe Jacques Cartier, a five-storey building, in Quebec’s St Roch neighbourhood and home to offices for the labour federation Centrale des syndicats du Québec.

The class action seeks compensation of $125,000 for surviving spouses, for pain and suffered stress, as well as $30,000 for each of the heirs of the deceased. It also requests $50,000 for each person with the disease and $10,000 for their carers.