Majority of Yukon restaurants fail health inspections

A CBC review of public inspection records found that 74 percent of Yukon restaurants violated health regulations.

Reports available on the Yukon Department of Health and Welfare website indicate that one-third of the violations listed were critical. Although Yukon law does not explicitly define the term, health inspectors in other jurisdictions use “critical” to mean a higher health risk – for example, if meat is not cooked properly or if signs of vermin are found on the premises.

When asked if widespread noncompliance was a concern for the department, spokesman Zach Burke said the results of the inspections were being taken seriously.

“It’s important to understand that a health inspection is a snapshot in time,” he added. “It’s rare that a facility is perfect.”

Not all provinces and territories publish inspection records. In the past, some restaurant owners have felt that doing so could give the public the wrong impression, especially for minor violations.

Snow Park disagrees. It owns Yukon Bunsik, which has always passed inspections.

“Customers pay for their food, right?” she said. “They have a right to know that restaurants are following the health guidelines for operating a commercial kitchen.”

Snow Park, left, owns Yukon Bunsik on Main Street in downtown Whitehorse. (Caitrin Pilkington/CBC)

However, Park also said that meeting these requirements can be challenging, describing having to gather information from online forums and websites and conduct extensive correspondence with the regulator.

“I learned on my own that it’s very, very important to follow (the guidelines) exactly, but nobody told me what the guidelines were,” she said. “In the end, I got all the answers, but it wasn’t an easy process for me.”

Education and enforcement

Jim Chan, now retired, was the City of Toronto’s public health director for 36 years.

During his tenure, foodborne illness in Toronto decreased by 30 percent and health compliance increased by 18 percent.

The CBC asked Chan what Yukon could do to improve its numbers.

Chan said the majority of operators are cooperative, so giving them the tools to meet regulatory requirements could make a big difference. Chan suggested regulators post an inspection checklist online.

“It’s a balance between education and enforcement.”

Jim Chan is a retired health inspector and former director of public health for the City of Toronto. (Submitted by Jim Chan)

In 2006, Chan helped Toronto pass an ordinance requiring certification of food handlers.

“If you say certification is voluntary, I can tell you that the majority of operators will simply ignore it,” Chan said.

The Yukon is one of the few jurisdictions in the country that does not require food handler certification to work in a commercial kitchen.

“One thing Yukon does right is that they have a very public system where you can find all the records online,” Chan said.

However, he found the number of Yukon establishments where repeat offenders were found “interesting” and wondered whether any follow-up action had been taken.

“I click on ‘business closures’… I click on this history… there’s nothing there.”

High stakes

Inspection records show that some Yukon operations have consistently failed annual inspections for up to a decade.

When asked by CBC how many food licenses have been revoked in the past decade, the ministry replied that there are no records of closures in the past.

Keith Warriner, a former catering chef and professor of food science at the University of Guelph, says if health authorities don’t have enforcement power, they won’t be able to work effectively.

How many violations can you spot? Jim Chan used this picture as an example of what to avoid. Tip: dirty walls, appliances, raw meat in sinks, and dishes placed directly on the dirty floor. (Submitted by Jim Chan)

“This is a problem with the public health inspection system across Canada, not just in Yukon,” he said.

Warriner said he often hears the complaint that there are only a limited number of inspectors and that hundreds of restaurants need to be visited.

“But the reality is that their job would be easier if they actually took out the bad players,” he said. “They wouldn’t have to go to the same restaurant five times a year.”

According to Warriner, many consumers are unaware of what is at stake when they eat at a restaurant.

He pointed to a restaurant in Sudbury where 235 people became ill with E. coli bacteria, as well as isolated cases in which hepatitis A and norovirus were transmitted to customers.

“The problem with restaurants, and the reason we’re so concerned about poor hygiene and poor food handling, is that they can transmit pretty dangerous pathogens,” he said.

“Yes, some can cause nausea for a short time, but others can be fatal.”