The P.E.I. government is once again stressing that establishments that sell food must maintain a valid operating licence.
The health and wellness’s environmental health department issued nine warning orders in January to food service establishments that were caught operating without a valid licence.
Much like a vehicle registration, it must be renewed annually.
The following food service establishments were hit with warning letters in January: Farrar’s Convenience, 161 Maypoint Rd., Charlottetown; The Haviland Club Inc., 2 Haviland St., Charlottetown; O’Leary Kwik-Way, 471 Main St., O’Leary; Officer’s Mess Pier, in the Queen Charlotte Armouries building on Haviland Street in Charlottetown; Sportsman’s Club (also known as Physical Culture and Recreation Centre), 175 Great George St., Charlottetown; St. Eleanor’s Community Centre, 1 West Dr., Summerside; Supernovastar Convenience, 47 Beach Grove Rd, Charlottetown; Water N Wine, 364 University Ave., Charlottetown; and Stogie’s Convenience Store, Exhibition Drive, Charlottetown.
Ryan Neale, manager of health and wellness’s environmental health section, said all but Farrar’s Convenience have updated their operating licence.
It should be noted that while all violations are listed on the government’s website, Stogie’s is a notable omission.
“The reason it isn’t on there is because whenever an inspection is done there is a seven-day delay before it actually gets posted on the website,’’ Neale said. “(The inspection) was done on Jan. 31, so we haven’t reached that seven days yet.’’
A warning letter is the first step in a graduated level of enforcement that health inspectors use. The next step up is notice of intent to issue a health order, and the third, and most serious, is an actual health order which gives inspectors the authority to shut the premises down if the first two steps were not complied with.
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