How Much Information is Too Much?

(Aired on March 11, 2010)

I honestly don't know what to think about a new page on the Interior Health website that gives the results of every inspection made by officials to restaurants, tattoo parlours, beauty shops and retirement centres. While I obviously care that these facilities are safe, I wonder how much information is too much. Most infractions are minor, and are cleared up immediately. So why have the restaurant front and centre because of that minor infraction when the facility is, in reality, perfectly safe to eat in?

To my way of thinking, why not put up reports where an establishment continually breaks the rules and is cited for seriously infractions that really could cause problems, instead of reporting on every single thing that doesn't really impact the overall health scenario. Let's face it - if an inspector went into your home, they would almost certainly find some infraction every time they visit.

Let me be clear, I'm not condoning violations. If a restaurant flaunts the rules, shut them down. I have no hesitation in recommending that. But I trust the inspectors to take care of those problems. I don't need to see whether or not they have one instance where the cooling temperature is one degree above what it should be. If that's a problem, I trust the health inspectors will see to it that it's fixed.

Frankly, I'm more inclined not to go back to a restaurant if their bathrooms are dirty than anything else. That to me is a sure sign about how caring a facility is about their customers. Or if the blinds are dirty or the floors untidy. That's the first thing I look for. And if I don't like what I see, I don't come back. Because to me, that first impression is important, and if owners care about that, I'm more inclined to think the rest of the place is good too. I don't need to see every inpsection report to know a facility is following the rules. In many cases, it's pretty obvious just by walking in the door.

Maybe having these reports available is a good thing. But to me, it's going just a little too far.