To date, 26 people have been named as plaintiffs in a civil claim against Thermea Spa Village in Whitby, Ont., after they say they contracted Staphylococcus, commonly known as staph, from one of the spa’s saltwater pools.
alerting the public to a potential “health hazard” discovered in the water of the Kalla pool.
“I sent [my friend] all these panic texts being like, ‘Oh my god, does your apartment building have bedbugs?’ [..] I was Googling like crazy because it was spreading,” she said. “I didn’t know what it was.”She says the rash spread from the back of her left thigh to her stomach, to her breast and back, and in her armpit.
“I wake up [with] flu-like symptoms. I’m weak. I have a fever,” she said. “I have no idea what’s happening.”After posting on Facebook about her symptoms, McKaye says she heard from a ‘slew’ of people echoing similar symptoms.While some complainants have received a $58 refund from the spa – the equivalent cost of the Kalla saltwater pool treatment before taxes are applied – the group says they’re looking for transparency from the business.
Justin Linden, a personal injury lawyer representing the group, told CTV News Toronto his practice gave the spa notice of the lawsuit last week. “On Friday of next week [Oct. 28], having a better sense of what you need; we will decide on a plan to make things right,” the email reads. “We will announce it the following Wednesday, November 2.”