Canadian woman, boy die by food poisoning during vacation abroad

A Toronto man has filed a $10-million lawsuit after his wife and son died after becoming violently ill at a Dominican resort. John Vennavally-Rao reports.

A Toronto man and his family are filing a $10-million lawsuit after his wife and eight-year-old son fell ill and died from food poisoning while staying at a resort in the Dominican Republic.

For the first time since the tragedy occurred more than a year ago, Stephen Gougeon is speaking publicly, hoping to raise awareness and prevent similar incidents.

“I don’t want this to happen to anyone else,” Gougeon told CTV News. “I think people need to be aware of what can happen.”

Gougeon, his wife April, and their sons Oliver and Wesley arrived at Viva Dominicus Beach by Wyndham Resort just after Christmas in 2023. On their first evening, they all dined at the resort’s buffet. By 6 a.m. the next morning, the entire family was violently ill, suffering from nausea and vomiting, he said.

“We were all throwing up,” Gougeon said. “It progressed to a point where we had to try and seek medical attention.”

According to Gougeon, the family requested help from the resort but were told to get themselves to the on-site medical clinic. Gougeon explained that wasn’t possible, and said they were too ill to even make it to the bathroom. But, he said, his plea wasn’t taken seriously. After another call in the afternoon Gougeon says someone did respond.

“We had to plead again with the medical centre to send somebody because it was clear we weren’t getting better,” he said.

Eventually, the family was transported via wheelchair to the clinic and then by ambulance to a local hospital.

At the hospital, Oliver and April continued to have difficulty breathing. Both died shortly afterward.

“They degraded and then my son passed away… and then very shortly after, my wife passed away,” a tearful Gougeon said.

Gougeon decided to wait until the next morning to tell Wesley, then seven years old, that his mom and older brother had died.

“It’s the worst thing — the worst thing a father and a husband will ever have to do,” he said.

A coroner’s report from the Dominican Republic concluded that April and Oliver died from secondary causes related to food poisoning.

“Coming home was very hard,” Gougeon said. “Living life without them is extremely hard.”

The civil suit alleges the resort failed to follow proper hygiene protocols, lacked proper emergency procedures, and did not provide a timely response to the family’s calls for help.

“I think what the Gougeon family would like is accountability,” said the family’s lawyer, Meghan Hull Jacquin. “They’re trying to make something good out of this horrific tragedy that they’ve been through and continue to live with every day.”

The lawsuit names Air Transat Holidays, Transat Tours Canada, Wyndham Hotels, and the clinic where the family initially received treatment. Gougeon said he booked the all-inclusive vacation through Transat, and believed the companies would “have high health and safety standards.”

In an email, Transat spokesperson Marie-Christine Pouliot said the company was deeply saddened by the deaths but refuted the allegations, none of which have been tested in court.

“We choose our suppliers with great care, and the hotel operator has assured us of its full cooperation with the authorities in shedding light on these tragic deaths,” the spokesperson said.

Gougeon says both his wife and son had an extreme love of life. April Gougeon was known as a talented lawyer. “But first and foremost, she was an excellent mother and excellent wife,” says Gougeon.

Oliver loved art and drawing.

“And you know, I miss him terribly,” Gougeon said.

By speaking out, Gougeon hopes no other family will have to endure such heartbreak.

“I think that resorts need to have better medical practices and policies so that if someone is in my situation, they’re not having to deal with what I have to deal with — for the rest of my life.”