Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

A butcher cuts New York Strip from Canadian beef at a butcher shop in Toronto, May 23, 2003. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kevin Frayer

Steaks sold at an Edmonton Costco store that are part of a health hazard alert about possible E. coli contamination are from the XL Foods plant involved in an extensive recall of ground beef.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says several people have become ill after eating Kirkland brand strip loin grilling steaks purchased at Costco's 50th Street outlet in Edmonton.

CFIA spokesman Tim O'Connor said the steaks were from meat that was slaughtered at the XL Foods plant in Brooks, Alta. He said what it isn't clear yet is where the meat was tainted.

"The recalled steaks were produced by XL Foods. At this point we don't know definitively where the E. coli contamination occurred," he said from Ottawa.

"There is a lot of variables between where it would have been slaughtered and retail. Where was it further processed. What other products could it have come in contact with between slaughter and retail."

Alberta Health Services has been investigating eight cases of E. coli, including four in Edmonton, three in Calgary and one in central Alberta. An Alberta Health Services official was to give an update Wednesday afternoon, including four cases AHS says have been linked to the Kirkland brand steaks.

Since Sept. 16, the CFIA has issued at least seven recall alerts for XL Foods Inc. ground beef products from its Lakeside plant.

Canada revoked the plant's permit to export beef to the U.S. on Sept. 13 at the request of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is monitoring the recall of XL Foods products in eight states.