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EDITORIAL

Councils' crayon mentality


by Judi McLeod February 28 - March 14, 2001

In the days of the old City of Toronto council, councillors holed up at a popular and pricey downtown restaurant. On days when council was in session, the brains of our city were always at the same restaurant. It wasn't the Poivre Steaks or the quiche that drew the politicians to the same restaurant. It was the luxury of being able to eat there, gratis. Nor did all politicians have the stomach to tie on the feedbag for free. Some councillors tell Toronto Free Press that after amalgamation the practice extended to include another restaurant or two where latter day politicians still nosh for free during council lunch and dinner breaks.

It is not too likely that any of these restaurants will ever be identified by the yellow two-day conditional pass in the colour-coded system earmarking the city's new publicly posted restaurant inspections.

In the crayon mentality of our city councillors, yellow is the colour you get when your establishment is found to have "minor health problems".

In the first week of the colour-code regime, 75 establishments were left with yellow signs they must post in their windows. Minor health violations would include "wonky" refrigerator temperatures or insect infestations.

Last summer's flies and moths, resurrected by indoor winter heating when the local inspector comes to call, could see your restaurant cast to the bureaucratic purgatory of yellow.

The problem with the colour-coded system for restaurants is that it was devised by the not too bright pencil pushers down at Toronto City Hall.

If dining out patrons are still listening, local board of health chair Joe Mihevc says it's okay to eat at a 'yellow establishment'. What Joe means is a restaurant forced to post a yellow sign indicating minor health problems.

"It's perfectly okay to eat at a yellow establishment," Mihevc, an NDP councillor, allows. "I would eat at a 'yellow establishment'. Noting the complaints from the industry about the confusion of the yellow signs, he said "The yellow (signs) are going to stay."

If you think Joe is as wonky as some restaurant refrigerators, don't look to Mayor Mel Lastman for relief.

Our chief magistrate recently discovered that a restaurant he frequented has mice and cockroaches. "And to think I ate there," he mused, adding "I don't think the place will ever get me back."

Mel, it's not likely they really want to have you back.

With colour coding in mind, zealous inspectors checked out some 305 establishments in the first week of the new year. They gave 225 green "pass" signs and five red "closed" signs.

In this latest bureaucratic exercise from Toronto City Hall, it is the yellow signs that seem to be causing problems with the Ontario Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Association. The association, which wants the city to scrap them, says the yellow signs are too ambiguous.

Here is where the yellow brick road, Toronto restaurant inspection style, actually takes you.

Code yellow means that before the city inspector returns, you have the total of two days to bring in the experts to get the wonky out of your refrigerator, or else.

After that, if your family restaurant doesn't earn a pass--with its green sign--it's shut-down time with a red sign posted in the window.

Finally members of the association are talking the talk.

"There should be no conditional pass, "association chair Len Little told a recent news conference. "Either you're a threat to public health or you're not".

Little and association president Terry Mundell have fought for a pass/fail system since the city first announced it would begin posting results. "We have significant concerns that the city can deliver and that this program will in fact be enforced," Mundell said.

Tough talk of grandstanding city politicians notwithstanding, the city has a poor track record in ensuring standards in Toronto restaurants. In 1999, the city was required to inspect 35,000 establishments, but completed just 56 per cent of the job.

Mundell thinks a shortage of inspectors poses the risk that the program will unfairly target lesser-known facilities and avoid high-profile eateries. As far as TFP is concerned, he's right on the mark.

Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com


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