‘Meat’ing client needs

The City of Thunder Bay seems game to allow Ka-Na-Chi-Hih Specialize Solvent Abuse Treatment Centre to serve wild meat to its clients.
Following a meeting between the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, Ka-Na-Chi-Hih officials and representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources, it appears the treatment centre will no longer have issues serving wild meat.
“We have found a way to make it work,” said Ken Allan, director of health protection for the health unit, explaining an exemption for wild game dinners was provided to the centre.
“They shouldn’t expect any problems … if the food is handled properly.”
The issue first arose about 18 months ago, said Vincent Simon, executive director of Ka-Na-Chi-Hih.
“Someone reported that we had moose meat on the premises,” Simon said, adding it was true. “We try to include traditional foods in the meals we serve.”
That set off an on-again, off-again issue between the centre and health unit.
“The health unit kept telling us we couldn’t serve it,” he said. “But the MNR said as long as it was harvested legally, we were within our rights to serve it.”
It was frustrating for Simon because traditional foods are served to help clients get in touch with their traditional background.
In the meantime, the centre continued to serve other foods.
“We always had other food we could serve,” Simon said.
While Simon understands the health unit staff are doing their jobs, it is still frustrating for him.
Allan explained food safety regulations are in place to keep the public safe.
He explained kitchen processes should be in place to prevent cross contamination in handling and preparing food.
He said other meat goes through testing process whereas wild meet does not have to meet such standards and is unregulated.
Allan said his agency is sympathetic to the position of Ka-Na-Chi-Hih.
“We understand the environment they want in place in their facility,” Allan said. “We had to figure out a way to work with Ka-Na-Chi-Hih. The health unit has to abide by the (provincial health) regulations.”
Simon said he had the utmost faith in the chef at Ka-Na-Chi-Hih.
“Everything is kept separate,” said Ka-Na-Chi-Hih chef Catherine Free. “We follow all the safe food handling procedures.”
Last month, Ka-Na-Chi-Hih applied for a six-month exemption under the Food Safety Act. If granted, it should end the wild game issue at the centre.
It would be similar to how the new Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre can now serve wild game because its food is prepared separately, Simon explained.