Quebec server won’t face criminal charges in salmon tartare affair

A Quebec server who gave a client salmon tartare instead of beef tartare will not face criminal charges.

Crown spokesman Rene Verret says an investigation has determined there was no criminal conduct.

The incident took place in a Sherbrooke restaurant last May.

Simon-Pierre Canuel, 34, of Gatineau, Que., filed a criminal complaint over the salmon tartare. He said he ordered beef tartare and repeatedly told the server he was severely allergic to seafood.

Canuel has said he left his EpiPen in the car and fell ill after taking a bite of the dish in a dimly lit room in the restaurant.

Canuel was hospitalized and his lawyer, Francois Daigle, said his client fell into a coma for two days and suffered cardiac arrest.

Earlier this month, Daigle said Canuel was being portrayed unfairly as a con in Quebec media.

Daigle took issue with reports his client had previously used his allergy to seafood to seek financial compensation.

He called those allegations false and unsubstantiated.