Popular Osborne Village establishments, small-town hotels slapped with fines for health violations

From washrooms in disrepair to poor rodent-control practices, eight Manitoba establishments have either been fined or temporarily shut down by health inspectors since June.

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The most recent health inspection reports show that, among other restaurants, two popular establishments in Winnipeg's Osborne Village area — the Toad in the Hole Pub & Eatery and Meiji Sushi & G Martini Bar — were both convicted and fined under the Public Health Act for charges emanating from last year.

The province manages a team of about 45 health inspectors who are responsible for inspecting more than 10,500 food establishments and around 700 pools across Manitoba.

5 establishments fined in June and July

The list of convictions for the months of June and July, and the penalties, are as follows:

The Toad in the Hole Pub & Eatery (Winnipeg)

• $349: Operating a food-handling establishment with poor sanitation, namely the establishment is not maintained in good repair.
• $349: Operating a food-handling establishment with poor sanitation, namely toilet facilities are not kept in good repair.
• $723: Served food that was stored under insanitary conditions.

Michael Monk, the owner of Toad in the Hole, said he took care of the infractions a year ago.

He said he had to replace the Toad's entire kitchen floor at a cost of $20,000 due to cracks in it and said it's not uncommon for patrons to break toilets and punch holes in the wall. 

"At the end of the day, all these infractions are taken care of."

Meiji Sushi & G Martini Bar (Winnipeg)

• $349: When using a mechanical washer, failed to ensure that the machine is capable of sanitizing all utensils and tableware at 50 parts per million chlorine.
• $537: Failure to take the effective measures against the entry and presence of rodents.

No one could be immediately reached at the bar for comment.

Baldur Motor Hotel (Baldur, Man.)

• $487: Failed to maintain safe internal temperature of potentially hazardous food.
• $299: When using a mechanical washer, failed to ensure that the machine is capable of sanitizing all utensils and tableware at 50 parts per million chlorine.
• $487: Failed to ensure potentially hazardous food is correctly thawed.

No one could be immediately reached at the hotel in the community of Baldur, about 160 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg, for comment.

Burntwood Hotel (Thompson, Man.)

• $723: Operating a pool with inadequate water re-circulation or quality.

An employee at the hotel said the hotel's general manager wasn't around to comment.

Pizza Pizza (Brandon, Man.)

• $307: Failed to maintain safe internal temperature of potentially hazardous foods.

No one at the restauraunt could be reached for comment.

Temporary closures

The list of closures for the months of June and July are as follows:

Bimi Japanese Restaurant (Winnipeg)

• Closed for 2 days: Poor general sanitation, namely food contact surfaces of equipment not thoroughly cleaned and sanitized.

Coconut Island Thai Cuisine (Winnipeg)

• Closed since June 28: Poor general sanitation; failed to take effective measures against entry of pests.

CBC News left a message with an employee at the restaurant asking for comment.

Winkler Aquatic Centre:

• Closed for 11 days: Bacteriological quality, positive for pseudomonas.

According to Rick Denison, the director of parks and recreation for the City of Winkler, only the hot tubs within the facility were affected by the closure.

In an email to CBC, he said that the remainder of the facility, including the pool, continued to operate.