Banquet hall will pay E. coli vicitms

The Mississauga News reports that former owners of Trillium Banquest Hall in Mississauga will pay out as much as $1 million to high school students and other guests who became ill with E. coli poisoning.
Nearly 90 graduates from E.C. Drury High School in Milton, who were there celebrating their prom night, fell ill from eating food at the Brunel Rd. banquet hall on June 25, 2003.
During their investigation, Peel health officials determined the source of the E. coli infection in the students to be the meal served at the banquet hall. They also reported five confirmed cases of E. coli poisoning in people who attended three other events at the Trillium Banquet Hall around the same time, including a wedding and corporate functions.
The financial amount will be divided among at least 150 people and is part of a settlement reached this week during a class action lawsuit. Complainants will be paid on a scale of $500-$5,000 depending on the severity of the infection, according to the proposed settlement. A person who was sick for three days gets $500, while a person who displayed symptoms for more than a month receives $5,000.
A superior court judge will hold an approval hearing on Aug. 15, when he will review the settlement in a Brampton courtroom.
The hall shut down shortly after the lawsuit was filed.