Restaurant and food service inspection in Canada

Do you have concerns about food you have eaten in a restaurant? Restaurant and food service inspection across Canada is generally carried out by these organizations:

  • provincial governments
  • municipalities
  • regional health authorities

They inspect facilities to verify that safe food-handling practices are being followed. You can report concerns about restaurant food to your local public health department.

If you suspect that your health has been compromised because of food, contact your doctor or local public health centre, who will follow up with the appropriate treatment.

Provincial and territorial public health departments

Click on the province you live in to expand the contact information.

Alberta

Restaurant and food service inspections are carried out by Alberta Health Services.

British Columbia
Manitoba

Restaurant and food service inspections are carried out by Manitoba Public Health.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Restaurant and food service inspections are carried out by the Department of Government Services.

New Brunswick

Restaurant and food service inspections are carried out by the Department of Health, Health Protection Branch.

Northwest Territories

Restaurant and food service inspections are carried out by the Department of Health and Social Services, Environmental Health Program.

Nova Scotia

Restaurant and food service inspections are carried out by the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture, Food Protection and Enforcement Division.

Nunavut

Restaurant and food service inspections are carried out by the Department of Health.

Ontario

Restaurant and food service inspections are carried out by local health authorities.

Algoma (Cities of Sault Ste Marie, Elliot Lake, towns of Blind River, Bruce Mines, Spanish, Thessalon and the Municipality of Huron Shores)

Brant County (Communities of Burford and Harley, Glen Morris, Mt. Pleasant, Onondaga and Middleport, Paris, St. George, Scotland and Oakland)

Chatham-Kent (City of Chatham-Kent, towns of Wallaceburg, Tilbury, Blenheim, Ridgetown, Wheatley and Dresden)

Durham Region (Cities of Oshawa, Pickering, towns of Ajax, Whitby)

Eastern Ontario (City of Cornwall, City of Clarence-Rockland, counties of Prescott-Russell, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry)

Grey Bruce (County of Grey and Bruce County)

Haldimand-Norfolk (Haldimand County and Norfolk County)

Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District (City of Kawartha Lakes, Town of Cobourg, counties of Haliburton, Northumberland)

Halton Region (City of Burlington and towns of Oakville, Halton Hills, Milton)

Hamilton

Hastings and Prince Edward Counties (Cities of Belleville, Quinte West and the counties of Hastings, Prince Edward)

Huron Perth County

Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington (City of Kingston, Town of Greater Napanee, counties of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington)

Lambton County

Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District (City of Brockville, towns of Carleton Place, Gananoque, Mississippi Mills, Perth Prescott, Smith Falls, counties of Lanark. Leeds and Grenville)

Middlesex-London (County of Middlesex and City of London)

Niagara Region (Cities of Niagara Falls, Port Colborne, St. Catharines, Thorold, Welland, the towns of Fort Erie, Gimsby, Lincoln, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Pelham)

North Bay Parry Sound (City of North Bay, Town of Mattawa, municipalities of Temagami, West Nipissing)

Northwestern Health (Cities of Dryden, Kenora, municipalities of Red Lake, Sioux Lookout, towns of Fort Frances Rainy River)

Ottawa

Region of Peel (Cities of Brampton, Mississauga and the Town of Caledon)

Porcupine Health Unit (Algoma District, Cochrane District, Town of Hornepayne, City of Timmins)

Renfrew County and District

Simcoe Muskoka (County of Simcoe and the towns of Bracebridge, Gravenhurst)

Southwestern Ontario (County of Elgin, Oxford and the City of St. Thomas)

Sudbury and Districts

Timiskaming (City of Temiskaming Shores, towns of Cobalt, Englehart, Kirkland Lake, Latchford, municipalities of Charlton and Dack, Temagami)

Thunder Bay District (City of Thunder Bay, towns of Marathon, Greenstone, Manitouwadge, Red Rock, Terrace Bay)

Toronto

Region of Waterloo (Cities of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo)

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (Counties of Wellington and Dufferin and the City of Guelph)

Windsor-Essex County

York Region (City of Vaughan, the towns of Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Whitchurch-Stouffville)

Prince Edward Island

Restaurant and food service inspections are carried out by the Department of Health and Wellness, Office of Environmental Health

Quebec

Restaurant and food service inspections are carried out by the City of Montreal in Montreal and the Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québec in all other locations

Saskatchewan

Restaurant and food service inspections are carried out by regional health authorities.

Yukon

Restaurant and food service inspections are carried out by the Department of Health and Social Services, Environmental Health Services.

First Nations and Inuit Health

The First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Health Canada supports the delivery of public health and health promotion services on-reserve and in Inuit communities.

The CFIA's Role

The CFIA protects consumers from deceptive practices in restaurants. Any claim made in connection with restaurant food offered for sale must be true and accurate. If you suspect that restaurant food has been misrepresented to you in an advertisement, on a menu, or by restaurant staff, you can contact the CFIA's Retail Food Program.