Premier Dalton McGuinty says that the province's early monitoring system, established after the 2003 SARS outbreak, allowed the province to rapidly respond to the nationwide Listeria outbreak.

Speaking in Thunder Bay yesterday, he said that he was glad that the outbreak was caught early, and that the province will take "serious steps" along with the feds to end it.

A third confirmed listeriosis death in Ontario is now linked to the outbreak.

Health officials say an elderly woman in St Catherines has died from the bacterial infection in addition to the deaths of elderly women in Hamilton and Waterloo.

Maple Leaf Foods has responded to the outbreak by ordering a massive recall of their products even though the bacterial outbreak has still not been completely linked to the meat.  A spokesperson fort he company says that they have a full-time inspector on site, and that the company has an excellent safety record.

The company's Toronto plant in North York is undergoing three separate disinfecting procedures and will reopen on Monday. About 250 workers have been temporarily laid off.

So far, there are 17 confirmed cases across Canada with 13 cases in Ontario, including the deaths in Hamilton and Waterloo. Up to 38 cases of listeriosis have been reported in the province.

A Vancouver Island man, 64, has also died while infected with outbreak strain.

Dr Vinta Dubey of Toronto Public Health says there are three confirmed cases of listeriosis in Toronto with four probable and one suspect case.

Before the recall, Toronto Public Health had warned long term care facilities not to use certain meat products, Dr Dubey says.

A surveillance alert has been sent to hospitals and long term care facilities to make them aware of the outbreak. Daycare centres and small delis have been contacted as well.

Dr Dubey says there is no vaccine to prevent listeriosis and the average age of the cases reported in Toronto is 70 but they range from 42 to 94.

On Wednesday, Ontario's chief medical officer Dr. David Williams said 17 additional people were being tested for a connection to the outbreak in the province.

At least 17 health units throughout the province have seen possible cases, Williams said.

There were reports of four other deaths, but Williams did not confirm the link, saying testing is ongoing.

Grocery stores across the country began pulling 23 Maple Leaf meat products from store shelves on Tuesday after the company issued a precautionary recall.

It is not yet confirmed if the strain of listeriosis in the outbreak is the same as the strain found in maple leaf plant, Williams said.

The brands affected in the recall include Schneider, Sure Slice and Burns -- all with the establishment number 97-B printed on the labels.

This morning, the CFIA warned consumers about another possible listeria tainted product. The public is being told not to eat Shopsy's deli-fresh Classic Reuben sandwiches, which were sold in a 180 gram package with best before dates of up to and including August 22 and August 24. The agency says it is being pulled from shelves because it contains sliced corned beef, which is one of the deli meats recalled by Maple Leaf Foods. 

An elderly woman in Hamilton died as a result of complications from the strain of listeriosis linked to the outbreak. Ontario's other confirmed cases are primarily nursing homes residents.

Listeriosis is a rare but potentially serious food-borne illness. Its symptoms include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk.

The incubation period for the infection is from three to 90 days, with an average incubation period of three weeks.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it first became aware of a potential problem with Maple Leaf Foods on August 8, but it took some time to confirm whether a recall was necessary.

The complete list of affected products, including individual product codes and best-before dates, is as follows:


Shopsy's deli-fresh Classic Reuben sandwiches, UPC 7 76393 17001 8 Aug.22 and Aug. 24.
26365, Sliced Cooked Turkey Breast, 470 grams, Sept. 30;
02106, Schneiders Bavarian Smokies, 1 kilogram, Oct. 28;
02126, Schneiders Cheddar Smokies, 1 kilogram, Oct. 28;
21333, Sure Slice Roast Beef, 1 kilogram, Sept. 30;
21388, Sure Slice Combo Pack, 1 kilogram, Sept. 30;
60243, Deli Gourmet Roast Beef slices, 1 kilogram, Sept. 30;
02356, Seasoned Cooked Roast Beef, 500 grams, Oct. 7;
42706, Roast Beef, Seasoned and Cooked, 500 grams, Oct. 7;
21334, Sure Slice Turkey Breast Roast, 1 kilogram, Oct. 14;
21444, Sure Slice Corned Beef, 1 kilogram, Oct. 14;
44938, Montreal Style Corned Beef, 500 grams, Oct. 14;
21440, Sure Slice Black Forest Style Ham, 1 kilogram, Oct. 21;
21447, Sure Slice Salami, 1 kilogram, Oct. 21;
21331, Sliced Smoked Ham, 1 kilogram, Oct, 21;
48019, Deli Shaved Corned Beef, 200 grams, Oct 21;
48020, Schneiders Deli Shaved Smoked Meat, 200 grams, Oct 21;
48016, Deli Shaved Smoked Ham, 200 grams, Oct 21;
48018, Deli Shaved Smoked Turkey Breast,150 grams, Oct 21;
48017, Deli Shaved Fully Cooked Smoked Honey Ham, 200 grams, Oct 21;
21360, Bites Pepperoni, 500 grams, Jan 1, 2009;
99158, Turkey Breast Roast, 1 kilogram, Sept 30;
71330, Roast Beef Cooked, Seasoned, Sept 30;
71331, Corned Beef, Smoked Meat, Sept 30;

The products in the recall have best before dates ranging from September 30 to January 1, 2009.
For public inquires on listeriosis call the Service Ontario, INFOline at 1-866-532-3161
Contaminated meat may not look or smell spoiled. For more information call Maple Leaf Consumer Foods at 1-800-568-5801.
These products have not been directly linked to human illness but Maple Leaf Consumer Foods has initiated a voluntary recall of the meats.