|
In a sweeping investigation conducted by the editors of
the Martingrove Free Press, it has been discovered that
the cafeteria has twice received a conditional pass from
the Toronto Public Heath Department (TPDH) due to a variety
of significant bylaw violations.
The Martingrove cafeteria food services were run, in previous
years, by Tim Horton's and Pizza Pizza. However, Chartwells,
an institutional cafeteria operator, replaced these franchises
in the fall of 2000. It was also during this time that the
City of Toronto enacted its DineSafe programme, which was
created to ensure the enforcement and disclosure of sanitary
conditions in all food premises across the city.
According to City of Toronto bylaw 574-2000, the Martingrove
Cafeteria is to be inspected twice annually. The first inspection
took place on November 14th, 2001. The cafeteria was given
a conditional pass as the operator had failed to:
- Provide accurate indication thermometers
- Properly wash the equipment
Failing to provide accurate indication thermometers constitutes
a significant infraction, which, according to the TPHD,
"presents a potential health hazard… [that] must
be corrected immediately…"
However, the by-law also stipulates that any restaurant
receiving a conditional pass must be re-inspected within
48 hours and pass with all identified problems rectified.
Fortunately the cafeteria passed this second inspection
on November 15th.
The next inspection occurred on April 29th, 2002; the cafeteria
received yet another conditional pass due to 3 significant
infractions and 2 minor ones. The minor infractions consisted
of failing to:
- Properly wash surfaces in rooms
- Provide adequate lighting
The significant infractions included:
- Failure to protect food from contamination
- Failure to provide hand-washing supplies for the employees
- Inadequate pest control
On May 21, 2002, after two school days, the cafeteria was
re-inspected and received a green DineSafe sign, indicating
a pass. During this time, MCI students were never notified
of these potentially hazardous infractions and none of the
students surveyed by the Martingrove Free Press noticed
the yellow conditional pass sign.
Presently, the green DineSafe sign is difficult to see
and is definitely not "in a location at or near the
entrance where the public can easily see it," as stipulated
by the TPHD. Furthermore, it is very difficult to read the
smaller details on the sign, such as the conditional pass
that the cafeteria has previously received, as it is located
behind the counter.
The Martingrove cafeteria also failed to produce - when
requested to do so by the Martingrove Free Press - a copy
of their Toronto Public Health Food Safety Inspection Report
that outlines the results of their last inspections. This
means that the cafeteria is currently operating in violation
of the City of Toronto bylaw 574-2000.
When asked about this violation, Aramark Regional Manager
Debby Jennings appeared unfamiliar with the relevant Toronto
Public Health bylaws and even questioned whether the report
should be available at the cafeteria. However, a representative
from the TPHD confirmed that a copy of the report should
be available directly from the establishment and not from
the TDSB or Aramark.
Farid Samy, district supervisor at Aramark, later explained
that Chartwells, the previous operator of the Martingrove
cafeteria, was still in possession of all copies of the
Toronto Public Health Food Safety Inspection Report. This
still constitutes a violation of the bylaw.
Incidentally, the cafeterias at both Etobicoke C.I. and
Richview C.I. have passed their health inspections on every
occasion
|
