Yes. Section 28(1) of NS Reg 206/2005 requires the operator to personally complete a food hygiene training program and provide proof to the Administrator on request. This obligation lands on you as the operator, not on a staff member. You also need to ensure a trained substitute is present whenever you are absent, under Section 28(2).

Nova Scotia's Food Safety Regulations require a recognized food hygiene training program to include expiry and renewal requirements, but the regulation itself does not fix a specific number of years. In practice, recognized programs commonly run on a 5-year renewal cycle, so confirm the validity period with your provider or inspector. The operator is responsible for ensuring employees hold current certification from a course recognized by the Department of Environment and Climate Change, and once a certificate lapses you complete a new approved course.

The Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Climate Change maintains an official Recognized Courses PDF listing every approved provider. If your provider is not on that list, the certificate has no legal weight in Nova Scotia, regardless of how reputable the course may be in other provinces.

Section 28 actually creates three obligations. 28(1) requires the operator to be trained. 28(2) requires a trained substitute when the operator is absent. 28(3) requires every employee who comes into contact with food to be trained at a level appropriate to their activity. So while the operator is the only person explicitly required to hold the full certificate, every food-contact employee must have some level of food hygiene training. The simplest way to satisfy all three obligations is to certify every employee who handles food.

Inspections in Nova Scotia are risk-based. Published provincial figures indicate roughly 9,700 inspections per year across approximately 5,000 food facilities, so most facilities are inspected at least once per year, with high-risk operations (restaurants, caterers, anyone preparing potentially hazardous food at scale) visited more often.

Yes. The Department of Environment and Climate Change publishes inspection results to a public database. As a matter of departmental practice, reports are posted within 2 to 3 days of an inspection and remain searchable for 3 years. The database is searchable by establishment name, street address, community, or inspection date, and public posting began on July 10, 2008.

You need a Food Establishment Permit issued by the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Climate Change, renewed annually. The permit and your Section 28 training obligations are independent legal requirements, so you need both to operate. Permit and inspection details are administered by the Department, so confirm current permit requirements and any fees with your local public health office.

Under the Health Protection Act, S.N.S. 2004, c. 4: individuals face up to $2,000 and/or up to 6 months imprisonment for a first offence, rising to up to $10,000 and/or up to 1 year imprisonment for subsequent offences. Corporations face up to $10,000 first offence and up to $50,000 subsequent offences. Penalties are per offence, so multiple violations on one inspection can stack significantly.