PEIThe organizer of the P.E.I International Shellfish Festival is taking extra precautions this year after about 550 people who attended the event in 2024 became sick with symptoms of gastrointestinal illness.Sanitizing crew, tighter rules on sick workers, more inspections among measuresTony Davis · CBC News · Posted: Sep 11, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago’We have a dedicated sanitizing cleaning crew on all the time and [many] more wash stations to sanitize,’ says Liam Dolan, chair of the P.E.I. International Shellfish Festival. (Tony Davis/CBC)The organizer of the P.E.I International Shellfish Festival is taking extra precautions this year after about 550 people who attended the event in 2024 became sick with symptoms of gastrointestinal illness.Liam Dolan says he is doing everything possible to make sure that never happens again.”It did unfortunately happen here, and we were very, very saddened about that,” said Dolan, the chair of the annual event in Charlottetown, which this year takes place Sept. 19-21. “This year we’re taking much more caution working with health. We’re going even over and above protocol.”We have a dedicated sanitizing cleaning crew on all the time and [many] more wash stations to sanitize.”The exact cause of the norovirus outbreak at last year’s festival was never confirmed, but there was speculation that it spread from an infected person who used one or more portable toilets set up for at the event. (CBC)The province’s Chief Public Health Office investigated the outbreak and confirmed norovirus was present in stool samples of the festival-goers who were tested.In an emailed statement this week, officials with the province confirmed Dolan is working closely with environmental health officers and is committed to implementing recommendations from the CPHO, which include: Co-ordinating additional health inspections before and during the festival. Enhancing the sanitation of food preparation areas and high-touch surfaces. Establishing a policy to exclude ill staff and food handlers from work, with a designated staff member responsible for daily health checks. Ensuring hand-washing stations are clearly visible at all washrooms and regularly monitored and replenished with cleaning supplies. Partnering with a sanitation company to decontaminate washroom surfaces daily. Retaining samples of prepared foods in cold storage for at least 48 hours after they are served. “It’s very important to me,” Dolan said of ensuring everyone stays healthy. “I’ve got 42 years in the restaurant business here on Prince Edward Island… so I am very very serious about how that is handled.”Nothing is going to be left untouched. We will cover everything to make sure it is very, very, very safe.” A tough time in the shellfish industryGoing into the festival, oyster harvesters on Prince Edward Island have been dealing with two diseases that can cause mortality in oysters but are safe for humans to consume: MSX and dermo.Wild oyster season opens for the fall with two diseases looming over the P.E.I. fishery The fall season is underway for P.E.I.’s wild oyster fishers. But it’s going to be challenging, since the Island is facing two diseases that can be deadly for oysters. MSX and dermo aren’t harmful to humans but their presence in some waters means it’s tougher for Island fishers to find a place to look for them. CBC’s Nancy Russell has more. The festival will be well stocked this year, but Dolan does worry for its future if harvesters aren’t landing as many oysters as they used to.”It’s the long term I am worried about, and there is so much research right now. There is so much unknown, we really don’t have all the answers,” he said.”Future years? We don’t know. Hopefully we can solve that problem. There are a lot of people working on this all over Canada and down through the states with counterparts down through Maine and New Hampshire.”Dolan says he feels bad for oyster harvesters who are dealing with two seperate diseases that could kill oysters. (Brittany Spencer/CBC)With ongoing trade issues between Canada and the United States, the international festival is a good way to encourage people from other countries to spread the word about P.E.I. seafood, Dolan said.”From Day One, when I started the festival 31 years ago, it’s not just about the people in the tent. It’s about telling the story. We have the best seafood in the world right underneath us here,” he said.”It’s all about telling the story and highlighting the seafood we have here.”Ticket sales for this year’s festival are selling well, said Dolan, who calls the event the biggest kitchen party in Canada.”The Chef Challenge has become a really big part of this,” he said, speaking of the Garland Canada International Chef Challenge, pitting award-winning chefs against each other with a $10,000 prize at stake.”We have a cooking competition. Cooking shows you see on TV any other day, we are equally as good or better and we’re doing it in a parking lot in downtown Charlottetown. So I am really proud of that.” ABOUT THE AUTHORTony Davis is a video journalist with a focus on municipal government, housing and addiction for CBC Prince Edward Island. He produces content for radio, digital and television. He grew up on P.E.I. and studied journalism at Holland College. You can email story ideas to anthony.davis@cbc.ca.
Extra caution being taken at P.E.I. shellfish festival after hundreds fell ill last year
