SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
More than six months after problems were uncovered with the frequency of regulatory inspections in the city of food establishments and the subsequent review ordered by the health minister, the problems persist.
Dr. Andre Corriveau, the territory's chief public health officer, says he had been assured food establishment inspections were being carried out. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo |
Last year, Yellowknifer looked at whether the Department of Health and Social Services was inspecting food establishments in the city as often as its policy requires - at least once per year, or up to three times per year for restaurants.
It wasn't.
Six food establishments had been left unchecked for two years because the inspector said he trusted the operators.
Minister Glen Abernethy said in May he wanted the food inspections carried out more regularly. He ordered a review of the system which resulted in a highly critical report the government refused to release at first.
However, another look at records of inspections Jan. 4, posted online at the Department of Health and Social Services website, revealed inspection reports are still outdated in multiple instances.
Some locations of the 119 listed were inspected up to three times in 2015 but 11 had no records of any inspection last year.
Those include restaurants, coffee shops and fast food joints. Inspections fall under the responsibility of one of three environmental health officers in the city.
Yellowknifer is not to naming the locations as they are not at fault.
The division is also responsible for daycare inspections, checking drinking water quality and a rabies prevention program.
Environmental health officers with the department carry out unannounced checks of locations that serve, prepare, store and handle food, looking for anything that doesn't meet regulations and could put the public's health at risk.
Dr. Andre Corriveau, the territory's chief public health officer and the person who oversees the inspection division, initially said in an interview Jan. 5 that he had been assured by his staff the backlog of inspections had been cleared last year and that they were following the policy.
"Now we're all caught up," he said.
He appeared surprised, however, when it was pointed out to him that current inspection reports were still not publicly available for those 11 establishments.
"If it hasn't been done, that would be cause of
concern," he said.
Corriveau later confirmed six locations, in fact, had not been checked in more than a year. Two more were checked Jan. 7 – two days after the department was contacted about the overdue inspection reports.
Two others seemed overdue but in fact had been checked and supporting reports had failed to be posted online and another is now under a different name than what was originally posted.
In an e-mail, Corriveau stated the remaining locations were to be checked last Thursday or Friday.
An examination of the website designed to allow food establishment customers to verify that locations are complying with regulations also found data entry errors or missing reports.
For instance, an inspection in 2015 is listed as happening in 2013. Some locations are listed multiple times and another food establishment doesn't appear on the
website at all.
Corriveau said the department doesn't take the issue lightly.
He pointed out that there have not been any serious health issues - outbreaks of food borne illnesses - linked to food establishments and said food establishment operators understand the importance of adhering to regulations.
He said that inspections aren't the only manner of ensuring food is provided safely – operators are responsible for having trained staff and overseeing proper food handling.
Over the holidays, the newspaper obtained a copy of a 12-page audit report of the inspection division's work. Yellowknifer used access to information legislation to get the report after the department had refused to provide a copy.
The report looked at all of the division's work, not just the food inspection aspect.
The audit, carried out by the GNWT internal audit bureau, found the division didn't have globally recognized inspection standards; did not have comprehensive policies to protect public health; did not have procedures to allow inspections to be carried out consistently and reliably; that staff did not have accurate job descriptions of their roles and responsibilities; and that the department did not have good information to inform, direct, manage and monitor the activities of the inspection division.
"The (health) department did not collect completely accurate, relevant, reliable and timely health inspection program information for management and staff to make informed decisions," states an observation summary about its record management system.
That, the report states, meant the manager of the division couldn't assess compliance with legislation or monitor its work effectively.
The audit report includes responses from the department stating how it will fix the issues.
For example, the chief environmental health officer has been tasked to research and recommend new health inspection standards by November. Within six months of new standards being developed, the division's policies will be reviewed.
The division's record system, prone to data entry errors, will undergo a review and once funding is available, a new version is expected to be put in place. That could take several years.
Corriveau acknowledged problems with the data management system but said the department will have to wait for funding to
address the issue.
