Cows graze near the XL Foods plant in Brooks, Alta.Todd Korol/The Globe and Mail
A new case of E. coli has been linked to the XL Foods Inc. plant in Alberta at the centre of a massive beef recall.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says the latest case is in Quebec, bringing the total number of confirmed cases across the country to 17.
The agency says the person became ill last month and has since recovered. It is likely the patient became ill from consuming a product already recalled and not a product distributed since the plant's reopening.
The announcement comes a week after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency gave the plant the green light to resume operating after being closed since Sept. 27.
Workers began slaughtering cattle Monday at the plant in Brooks, but there is no word yet on when the beef can be sold to retailers or consumers.
Management of the plant has been taken over by JBS USA, an American subsidiary of a Brazilian company.