Calgary restaurant accuses AHS of 'mishandling' inspection

A Calgary restaurant says a publicly posted closure order from Alberta Health Services (AHS) has caused "significant reputational damage" to its business and demands the agency to make amends.

A Calgary restaurant says a publicly posted closure order from Alberta Health Services (AHS) has caused "significant reputational damage" to its business and demands the agency to make amends.

Blowers & Grafton, which serves Halifax street food, said in a public letter that it received a closure notice at its Mission location following a routine inspection on May 22.

The business says the closure was related to a sewer backup in the area, which the inspector informed them about during the visit.

"The inspector mentioned that there was an apparent sewer backup in the area – particularly that there was a sewer backup in the adjacent business(es)," the letter said.

The restaurant says its staff was not aware of any sewer backup at that point and had not noticed any evidence of one in the building, but the health inspector "pointed out a very small area" that was believed to be part of the issue.

When that was discovered, staff asked the inspector if they could voluntarily close the business to fix the problem, but that request was denied.

The business says the inspection continued and AHS discovered a variety of other problems. They included issues with the dishwasher, sinks, cleaning procedures and food storage.