New provincial regulations, The Food Safety Regulations have replaced The Public Eating Establishment Regulations.  Provisions within the new regulations enable health regions and the Ministry of Health to release to the public the details of inspections associated with restaurant type facilities. 

The release of these reports and related enforcement action information meets the provincial government's objective of transparency and is in line with disclosure mechanisms that have been implemented in other provinces.

No. Reports are posted to meet the government's commitment to transparency.

No, however, personal and personal health information is protected from release by provisions of The Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and regulations and The Health Information Protection Act and regulations.  In addition to personal and personal health information, any information related to an active complaint or communicable disease investigation cannot be released. All other information may be publicly disclosed.

Owners/operators that have concerns regarding their facility information on the website may contact the local health region Public Health Inspection Manager to have the information reviewed.

In Saskatchewan, Public Health Officers employed by health regions inspect approximately 5,000 restaurants each year.  The goal of a food safety inspection is to prevent or minimize the risk of food-borne illness and to reduce safety hazards through education and enforcement. The main duties of a Public Health Officer during the inspection are to observe, monitor, document findings, recommend corrective action and educate.  Depending on the findings during the inspection, enforcement procedures may be initiated.

Public Health Officers inspect restaurants for compliance with provincial regulations and standards.

The areas that Public Health Officers review are identified as either ‘Critical Items' or ‘General Items'.  Critical items are those items that have been proven to be the likely cause of food-borne illness associated with a restaurant. General items are areas of concern in the operation of the facility that may have an indirect bearing on the possibility of food-borne illness.

For a better understanding of critical and general items, please refer to the ‘Explanation of Critical and General Items’ below under Related Links.

Health regions strive to inspect restaurant type facilities at least annually. Routine inspections of these facilities are conducted on an unannounced basis. Inspection frequency is based on factors associated with the operation of the facility such as type and variety of food served, extent of food handling and history of poor compliance.

Following a routine inspection, the facility will receive a follow-up inspection if the re-inspection priority is rated as high or moderate.  Public Health Officers assess the number and type of unsatisfactory items when determining re-inspection priorities and if necessary, will use various enforcement methods to gain compliance. Re- inspection priorities are defined below:

High re-inspection priority:

Facilities receiving a high re-inspection priority will normally be re-inspected within one month of the original inspection date.

Moderate re-inspection priority:

Facilities receiving a moderate re-inspection priority will normally be re-inspected within six months of the original inspection date.

Low re-inspection priority:

Facilities receiving a low re-inspection priority will be inspected on the next routinely scheduled inspection date.

Individual health region policy may allow for the next routine inspection time to be shortened for restaurants with a history of poor compliance. 

It is important to understand that when restaurants are deemed to have a high re-inspection priority, it does not mean that the food prepared within that establishment is not safe to eat. The illustrations below describe the difference between the Public Health Officer's or operator's perspective and the public's perspective of risk.

Usually compliance with regulations can be achieved through education and discussion with the owner/operator. There are times, however, when health region public health officials have to take stronger measures to achieve compliance. In these cases a number of enforcement tools are available to the health region - attaching conditions to licences, issuing probationary licences, suspending or cancelling licences, conducting formal hearings, laying charges, and/or issuing orders. Many of these enforcement decisions or orders can be reviewed or appealed.  Contact your health region for more information on enforcement procedures.

During inspections of a restaurant, Public Health Officers assess the number and type of unsatisfactory items. Depending on the level of risk, the operator is given a specific time to correct the unsatisfactory items. Most times the operator corrects the problem promptly and in some cases during the time of inspection. However there are times the public health officer must take more drastic measures such as ordering the premises to be closed.

There are three different licences that can be issued to a restaurant. These are:

Licence - Unless exempted by the regulations or the health region, restaurants are required to have a valid licence, issued by the local health region. A licence is valid for up to two years from the date of issue.

Conditional Licence - In some situations, terms or conditions under which a restaurant must operate may be attached to a licence. For example, a conditional licence may be issued to limit food service to take-out if public washrooms are not available or to restrict menu items where equipment is lacking or limited.

Probationary Licence - A regular licence can be cancelled and replaced by a probationary licence. A probationary licence establishes timelines for the correction of unsatisfactory items.

Upon receipt of a complaint about a restaurant, Public Health Officers investigate the complaint considering the regulatory requirements and the degree of public heath risk before determining an appropriate course of action.

Complaints about specific restaurants should be directed to the appropriate regional health authority.