Inspections and certifications are critical when deciding what events can and cannot be held at your hall and also when deciding where your legal stand point is. So here’s the question, are you certified? You should always make sure you’re legally allowed to do something in your halls. A typical situation that could be used as an example is if you serve alcohol at your hall, does your establishment have a liquor license? Do your workers have a serving certifications? Do you know what you can and cannot do? That’s where I come in. I have done some research and have found many answers, forms, government regulations, etc. to share with you so when hosting an event or even just going through your day to day activities at your hall you will always be “safe.”
Kitchen Inspection:
The results of your kitchen and bar inspections can hurt your establishment’s reputation significantly. It’s not surprising that people will not eat at your hall if they hear that you do not meet the standards, and unfortunately the negatives will most likely stick rather than the positives so… clean your kitchen. If the results do not meet the minimum requirements, you’re in trouble kitchen inspections are done at least once a year and your results are published online where the public may access it. It is critical that you pass it for the health and safety of everyone in your establishment. Usually, health inspectors come to inspect your facilities unannounced, but with halls that are not always open, inspectors will sometimes call ahead of time to find out what hours the building is running. The same follows with halls that serve liquor. I have taken a chance to find some helpful links regarding kitchen and bar inspections that will help you prepare for your next inspection:
How to prepare for a food inspection
Results of food inspections on PEI
Kitchen-inspection-cklst-January-2016.2
Bar-inspection-checklist-October-2010.2
SoCan Music License:
SoCan music licenses give you the freedom to play any music you want at your halls legally. The copyright act states that any public performance of copyrighted, protected musical works requires a license. When a song is played in public, the music artist is entitled to compensation. The SoCan license gives you permission to publicly stream music internationally. A common question people have is why do we have to pay for a SoCan license when we already pay for the performers? The answer is that when you pay for the artist you’re paying for their service but not for the public performance of music which are two separate things, and they both deserve compensation. To learn more and to register your hall for a license click below.
Anti Spam Legislation:
Canada has passed a new anti spam legislation that helps protect Canadians while also ensuring that businesses can compete in the global marketplace. Their website can be reached here, and some other information can be found here.
Liquor Laws:
There are a lot of rules that come into play when serving alcohol at your halls. You should make sure that anyone who is serving alcohol has taken their Responsible Beverage Service Program. You should also be aware of all of the rules and regulations your hall has with its license. You should also make sure your license is up to date. More information may be found here.
Some other documents that are very helpful:
2017-May-16-Licensee-Policy-Manual
If there are any other laws or regulations that you’d like included, please let me know at peihalls@gmail.com