More than 90 restaurants in Metro Vancouver were told to close their doors after they were found with rodent infestations, unsanitary conditions, or a failure to store food properly, according to an investigation of restaurant inspection histories for the past three years by CTV News.
And many more were repeatedly cited — but not closed — for other violations, the most common of which were leaving food out that should be refrigerated, failure to wash surfaces, and not providing hand washing stations to employees.
"We’re looking for any signs that might lead us to believe there might be an outbreak of food poisoning," said Nick Losito, Vancouver Coastal Health’s director of health protection.
One of those restaurants that was shut down was a Vancouver legend — The Only Seafood Restaurant on Hastings Street.
Once a bustling destination for seafood since it opened the 1920s, The Only is now filled with rat feces and dead insects.
The health department closed The Only last year — not just because inspectors said the food was a public health hazard, but because inspectors discovered it was a crack den as well.
CTV will be running a week-long series on food safety. Last night’s video is available here.