Manitoba Health has released its annual report of businesses forced to close in the past year due to health and safety violations.
Food service facilities, as well as hotels with swimming pools or hot tubs, are among the 52 businesses listed in the report.
Many of the closures were brief — only lasting a few days before a reinspection deemed them worthy of continuing to operate, but some of the businesses that closed have never opened back up.
A handful of businesses were also forced by health inspectors to close as they were found to be operating without a permit.
Most of the food service violations related to cleanliness concerns in cooking and/or dishwashing areas — a relatively easy fix — but some violations included a note about rodents.
Three businesses, One Stop International Market on Ebby Avenue, Okay Grocery on Sherbrook Street, and RnR Family Restaurant on McPhillips Street, remain closed after the presence of rodents was noted by inspectors.
Shaun Jeffrey of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association told 680 CJOB there’s help available for restaurant owners dealing with pest problems.
“We’re really proud to have the three largest pest control companies in the city as members,” he said. “We share their information with all of our membership… our members can call us up and get some really good feedback from some of these professional pest companies and get some help.”
Jeffrey said the association is putting on free webinars on the pest issue for all interested businesses next month.
Cutting back on pest control, he said, could be a cost-cutting measure for some restaurants and other businesses dealing with a financial crunch.
“We’re coming out of a pandemic — we’re still struggling. We’re continuing to struggle, and we’re starting to see some operators make these decisions.
“It’s just such an integral part … having a program in place in your restaurant is such an important part of providing Manitobans with a safe place to eat on a daily basis.”