"Hearing held as part of class-action lawsuit filed against Cargill meat-packing plant," 13 Jan. 2022

The lawsuit, which was initially filed in mid-2020 by the Calgary-based Guardian Law Group and James H. Brown and Associates, alleges that Cargill should have known that a lack of preventative measures could impact close contacts of employees. 

The COVID-19 outbreak at the facility was at one point the largest in North America.

... "Part of this was about making sure that businesses knew from the get-go that, look, you have a responsibility. There are things you can do to protect your workers and you have to do them or the courts will hold you accountable," [Guardian Law Groups' Mathew] Farrell said.

... Cargill's defence stated it would be unreasonable to hold the company accountable for the "legally indeterminate" spread of infection from the workers.

A spokesperson with Cargill did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.

The allegations have not been proven in court.

... The deaths of three people were linked to the factory's COVID outbreaks. Two were employees. The third was a worker's father, Armando Sallegue, who had travelled to Alberta to visit his son. 

The outbreak is the subject of a police investigation, though no charges have been laid.