A Richmond retailer in Empire Centre Mall is frustrated with the lack of direction from government officials in helping the mall deal with an ongoing maggot infestation.
Mina Lau, who has been working at the mall for more than 20 years, said she and other shop owners are at a loss with getting help with the “disgusting” sight of thousands of maggots in front of their businesses.
“We started noticing the maggots around the beginning of August, and we’re not talking about just several of them, but thousands of them,” said Lau.
“I’ve reached out to provincial government organizations and there seems to be no permanent solution for us.”
Vancouver Costal Health (VCH), one of the many who Lau asked for help, sent a representative to inspect the infestation. That person told management to “wash them away with water,” and because the infestation is on private property, it is not a “government problem,” according to Lau.
“This doesn’t give a good image to the mall, and I’m finding it difficult to get a permanent solution or guidance from government officials despite them always advertising for environmental health,” said Lau, adding that if washing them away was that easy then she would’ve done so earlier.
Deana Lancaster, communications leader at VCH, said their environmental health officers conduct inspections of restaurants and food facilities to educate food handlers about safe food handling.
However, it is not the same for retail spaces.
“If the maggots are outside, and not inside a premise where food is being prepared, this is not a situation that would warrant action by our inspectors,” said Lancaster in an email statement.
Lau thinks that the maggots may be linked to dead rodents near or in the commercial garbage bin nearby.
“I feel like insects and maggots may appear because there is something ‘dead’ nearby, and because several of the mall’s stores are near the garbage bins. That is probably why the maggots are mainly in our area,” said Lau.
In addition to using water to wash away the maggots daily, the management at Empire Centre Mall has also contacted pest control.
“The mall may have a limited budget and we can’t always have pest control come in every day to get rid of them,” said Lau, adding that new ones would show up again after they are washed away.
“We just want a solution to get rid of these maggots and to prevent more from coming back.”
