Frequently asked questions
How often is the data updated?
The cadence depends on the source authority. We re-ingest each public dataset on a daily-to-weekly schedule. Once a new inspection appears in the original portal, it usually shows up here within a few days.
I saw a violation at a restaurant I just visited. What should I do?
If you got sick after eating somewhere, report it to the local public-health authority. That’s the same one whose records appear on the restaurant’s Pass or Fail page. For non-illness concerns, most authorities take complaints by phone or web form. A complaint usually triggers an unscheduled inspection.
Why isn’t my favourite restaurant listed?
A few possibilities. The city might not be covered yet; we expand gradually. The place might have opened recently and not been inspected. It might fall into a category the authority doesn’t inspect publicly, like catering-only operations in some jurisdictions. Check the spelling and try a partial name first; otherwise, email contact@passorfail.ca.
What does a conditional pass actually mean for me as a diner?
It means inspectors found at least one violation, but not severe enough to close the place. The operator has been given a deadline to fix the issue, and an inspector will return to verify. Most conditional passes are followed by a passing re-inspection within days or weeks. A place with a long history of clean inspections plus one conditional reads differently from a place that keeps getting them.
Is Pass or Fail an official government site?
No. We’re an independent service. We mirror the public records that Canadian health authorities publish under their open-data licences. The authoritative record is always the originating authority’s, not ours.
Are inspections done the same way across Canada?
No. Each province sets its own food-safety regulations, and inspections are carried out by regional or municipal public-health units. That’s why the labels and reporting schemes vary so much. The How It Works page has a full breakdown.
What’s the difference between a critical and a non-critical violation?
A critical violation has a direct connection to foodborne illness: improper temperatures, raw meat above ready-to-eat food, employees not washing their hands, a confirmed pest problem. A non-critical violation matters but isn’t an immediate danger: a chipped cutting board, a dusty storage shelf, faded signage. One critical usually carries more weight than several non-criticals.
Why does Québec only show convictions?
Québec doesn’t publish routine inspection results. The MAPAQ (the provincial agriculture and food ministry) inspects restaurants, but only court convictions under the Food Products Act are public. A Québec restaurant page with no record means the operator hasn’t been convicted of a food-safety offence. Most haven’t.
Can a restaurant get its records removed?
No. Health inspection records are public information published by public bodies. We mirror those records under each authority’s open-data licence. If an operator believes a record is factually wrong, the request needs to go to the originating health authority.
How do I correct an error in a record?
If a name, address, or other identifying detail is wrong on our page, email contact@passorfail.ca with the URL and a short description. We’ll cross-check against the source. If the source itself is wrong, only the originating health authority can fix it.
Why do some BC and London restaurants show violations but no overall pass-or-fail label?
Vancouver Coastal Health, Interior Health, and Middlesex-London Health Unit publish individual violations from each inspection but don’t assign a single pass-or-fail outcome to each visit. The restaurant page shows you the violations directly. A report with no listed violations means none were recorded that day.
Are food trucks and bakeries included?
It depends on the authority. Most include any premise that handles food for the public: restaurants, food trucks, bakeries, cafés, ice-cream shops, school cafeterias, and daycare kitchens. If a category is in the source dataset, we include it.
Still have a question? Email contact@passorfail.ca. For background on how inspection data works, see How Pass or Fail Works.