Food safety top of mind for regional council as more new restaurants open

CTV’s Karis Mapp finds out why there’s been more food places opening up but less complaints leading to inspections.

A staff report set to come before regional council is outlining Waterloo Region’s food safety figures.

According to the report, there were 3,754 places that sold food in the region in 2025. That’s an increase compared to the 3,604 places in 2024.

“[The report] is a summary of the activities based on public health continuing to maintain a comprehensive food safety program with the goal of preventing and reducing the incidence of foodborne illnesses,” said Aldo Franco, the director of health protection and health environments with the Region of Waterloo.

Meanwhile, a food safety professor at the University of Guelph said he was surprised by the number of food establishments opening locally.

“The restaurant business has really been hit and the general trend is down,” said Keith Warriner.

“The fact that it’s going up is positive for the catering industry and the hospitality industry in general.”

To keep up with the demand, Public Health hired two additional inspectors last year, bringing the total to 33.

Although there are more places for people to eat, the premises are operating safely for the most part.

The report shows Public Health officials conducted 6,710 inspections, including 6098 inspections and 612 re-inspections.

During those visits, 57 tickets and 24 closure orders were handed out. In 2024, there were 96 tickets given and 18 locations were ordered to close.

But, Franco says the goal is to educate the establishments rather than punish them.

“Our goal is to reach compliance without enforcement. We really want to work with operators” he explained.

“Closure orders are not a last resort, but the conditions that have to exist for a closure order is like an immediate health risk or an immediate health hazard.”

If a ticket or order to close is issued, establishments can rectify the assessment by complying with the advice given.

However, Warriner questioned the thoroughness of these inspections with the teaching mentality as a focus.

“Some people say that this sort of forgiveness, if you want to call it that, is a weakness in the system given the fact that the [operators] had time to prepare for this sort of scheduled inspection and the safety training,” he said.

Public Health’s ‘Check It!’ website also has an online record of every location inspected for the public to see.

“It’s a very convenient way for the public to check and be informed before they make a choice of where they want to eat or get their food from,” Franco said.

Formal complaints can also be filed on the website, and Warriner said that’s extremely important in making a lasting impact.

“Don’t post it on social media to shame the restaurant because the health inspectors only act on a direct call,” he said.

“It’s important to report [concerns] to Public Health because without that, somebody else may suffer later on.”