Increased complaints of unlicensed at-home food providers in Calgary leads to uptick in inspections, says AHS
CBC
Alberta Health Services says it's receiving an increase in complaints related to caterers operating out of their homes without a valid food-handling permit in Calgary, leading to an increase in inspections of these types of businesses.
In a statement to CBC, AHS said its Environmental Public Health (EPH) team regularly deals with issues pertaining to food-handling permits in the city.
"Permits and an inspection system are in place to provide assurances that food supplied to Albertans is safe," said AHS in its statement.
"Without oversight and enforcement, the potential for outbreaks related to food-borne illness is increased."
According to the AHS website, four Calgary food establishments have been issued closure orders for operating without valid food-handling permits already in 2024. Ten were issued closure orders in 2023.
That marks a rise in closure orders related to unlicensed operations since 2021 and 2022, when one and four food establishments were shut down, respectively. (2021 and 2022 were years that also experienced lockdowns due to COVID-19).
AHS said it encourages those who wish to start a food service business to contact its EPH division to start the licensing process so that food handling is carried out in a safe way.
Gaurav Punj is someone who's been through that process, and said it was straightforward.
Punj owns and operates Mansi's Kitchen in northwest Calgary. It's a fully licensed tiffin business that predominantly serves south Asian students and families seeking the same kind of Indian dishes they'd get back home.
They serve two dishes a day, which are made fresh every morning before being delivered to roughly 200 customers throughout the city.
"We also started [our business] from home," said Punj.
"We were also not licensed, but eventually we knew that we had to be in a licensed place. Without being in a professional kitchen, I don't think you can serve a proper meal."
Once he realized they needed a permit, Punj said the process to get one with AHS was easy.
"I think we called them [and] in two days everything was done," he said.
The driver wanted in connection with a fatal hit and run on Highway 401 earlier this week has been identified, police say.
There are mixed feelings about the proposed Grays Bay road and port project, among people who live in nearby communities.
WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse and includes graphic content.
Provincial police in Lambton County have charged a 23-year-old man with second degree murder following a death investigation that began this past Saturday.
The Newfoundland and Labrador government is forming a working group to tackle what it calls systemic issues in the justice system, but answers or solutions could still be months away.
A woman has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death in a 2024 fatal hit and run in Truro, N.S., where the victim was dragged down the street, a case that went unsolved for more than six months.
A stream of people showing up to a brightly lit front porch, each holding up a bottle of wine, spirits, or beer.
Sona Lakhoyan Olivier has been excluded from Quebec’s Liberal caucus for the duration of an investigation led by the National Assembly’s ethics commissioner, the party announced Thursday.
The head of the William Whyte Neighbourhood Association hopes a city plan to crack down on vacant properties leads to a transformation in his community.
Saskatchewan's justice minister is rejecting the latest legislative proposal from the NDP Opposition, one that the NDP says is a necessary check on government power.
The provincial government is proposing sweeping changes to citizen-led referendum questions that could put a stop to an active court case about whether it’s constitutional to ask Albertans if they agree with separating from Canada.
A proposal for a hydrogen-powered passenger rail connecting Calgary and Banff has been submitted to the federal government in the hopes of having it fast-tracked.
The P.E.I. Green Party is calling on government to release the fall fiscal update. The checkup on the province's finances is typically released sometime in October.