News

Simcoe, ON Dec. 19th, 2018 –Starting in 2019, the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit (HNHU) will be posting online the inspection results for the premises inspected by public health. These premises include:

• Food premises (restaurants, food stores, food trucks and more)
• Public pools and spas
• Day care centres
• Tobacco vendors
• Personal service settings (tattoo shops, nail/hair salons, barbershops)

Starting January 1st, 2019, inspection results for food premises, personal services, day care centres and tobacco vendors will be “disclosed” publicly online in accordance with new provincial legislation. Inspection results for public pools and spas will be disclosed beginning in February. The inspection results will be found on the HNHU’s InspectOURCommunity website: inspectOURcommunity.hnhss.ca.

“This approach will improve transparency, and help residents make informed choices about the business they choose to visit,” said Kwesi Douglas, program manager for the Environmental Health team at the HNHU. “We have been conducting routine fixed and mobile premise inspections in both counties for a number of years, but now information will be made more easily available to the public.”

The inspection information that will be posted online will depend on the type of premise being inspected but may include all infractions noted during the inspection and whether the premise was in compliance at the time of the inspection. “I think it’s important for the general public to know that our inspection results are a snapshot in time,” said Douglas. “If a premise is in compliance at the time of the inspection, it doesn’t guarantee that the premise will be in compliance at all times.”

In addition to the new website, the HNHU will be issuing notices called a “certification of inspection”. The notice will be posted by the owner and/or operator of the premise at the request of the public health inspector who conducted the inspection. The public will be able to see the date the inspection was completed and if a re-inspection is required. The notices will be begin to be posted after January 1st, 2019.

For more information, please contact the HNHU at 519-426-6170 in Norfolk or 905-318-6623 in Haldimand.

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Media Contact:
Shanker Nesathurai, MD, MPH, FRCPC
Medical Officer of Health (Acting)
Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit
Ext. 3260 at either 519-426-6170 or 905-318-6623