Alberta’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak at the Cargill meat-packing plant in High River is called a “catastrophic failure” in a new report from the Parkland Institute, a research centre at the University of Alberta. More than 950 workers contracted the illness, six people died and dozens were hospitalized, the report says. It examines how the outbreak unfolded, why it happened and what could help prevent similar incidents.

The report is dedicated to Bui Thi Hiep, 67, and Benito Quesada, 51, both Cargill workers who died during the outbreak. “In 2020, both lost their lives to COVID-19 and, ultimately, to Alberta’s catastrophic failure to place worker safety above industry interests,” the report says.

It describes the outbreak as a forgotten tragedy, saying it was not mentioned in either the Alberta government’s 2023 pandemic review panel reports or Alberta Health Services’ internal review in 2022. No charges were laid under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, and none followed a separate RCMP criminal investigation, the report says.

The report also criticizes Devin Dreeshen, Alberta’s agriculture and forestry minister at the time. It says he assured the public that meat-processing plants would be classified as essential services throughout the pandemic. The report says a formal designation followed, although it had no basis in law, and exempted those industries from public health measures on gathering sizes, physical distancing and temporary closure orders.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Cargill workers were offered a one-time $500 attendance bonus and a $2 hourly wage top-up to encourage them to take shifts. The report’s lead author, Sean Tucker, said the outbreak’s scale could have been avoided. “There was nothing inevitable about the scale of the outbreak,” Tucker said.

Among the report’s 36 main recommendations is a public apology to Cargill workers and their families. It also recommends that Alberta’s health agencies and occupational health and safety officials use the precautionary principle when responding to new respiratory illnesses.

The provincial government and Cargill said they were reviewing the report after being asked for comment. Cargill described the pandemic as “an extraordinarily difficult period” for its workers and said it was deeply saddened by the deaths of colleagues and the effects on their families, friends and co-workers.

“Throughout COVID-19, protecting the health and safety of our people was-and remains-our highest priority,” the company said in a statement. It said it introduced safety measures as information and public health guidance changed, including screening and temperature checks, physical barriers and distancing, revised shift and break schedules, and more cleaning and sanitizing.

Cargill said the report did not fully reflect the breadth of its actions. The company said those actions were guided by its values of putting people first and doing the right thing, and by its responsibility to protect workers “during an unprecedented time.”

Based on reporting by CTV News Calgary.