Environmental Public Health - Disease: Communicable, Rabies, Food Borne Illness

This service:

• investigates cases and outbreaks of illness, which are caused by germs like E. coli, salmonella, and Giardia (beaver fever) to find out the cause and prevent other people from getting sick
• investigates people with vomiting and diarrhea who don’t know how they got sick
• provides follow-up for animal bites (dogs, cats, bats, and other animals) to make sure people don’t get rabies
• investigates single cases and/or outbreaks of many diseases including botulism, hantavirus, norovirus, shigella, and Q fever

For more information visit Environmental Public Health website.

Environmental Public Health - Drinking Water

Inspects public water supplies, reviews water sample results, and issues water advisories if needed. You can get water testing supplies (sample bottles) and shipping information from your local Community Health Centre. Testing for municipalities and private home owners is done through the Provincial Laboratory of Public Health and Alberta Centre for Toxicology. If there is E. coli or total coliform bacteria in your sample, you will be contacted right away in most parts of the province.

May advise private homeowners about how safe their well, cistern, or dugout water is and talk about treatment options if needed.

Does drinking water testing for bacteria through the Provincial Laboratory of Public Health, Environmental Microbiology Services, which checks for:

• E. coli bacteria (shows if water is contaminated with sewage or fecal matter)
• total coliform bacteria (helps determine the integrity of the water source)

Chemical water testing of untreated ground water for private households is done by The Alberta Centre for Toxicology which checks for many different things including bicarbonate, calcium, chloride, and magnesium.

Your water sample requisition may be reviewed before your sample is sent to the right place for testing. This is to make sure your water supply is eligible for testing.

Sample Bottle Pick-up and Drop-off locations in Alberta.

• North Zone
• Edmonton Zone
• Central Zone
• Calgary
• Rural Calgary
• South Zone

For more information visit the Environment Public Health website.

Environmental Public Health - Education

Answers general environmental public health questions about topics like safe cooking, pest problems, and mould.

Offers classes, courses, presentations, and displays on many environmental public health topics. They are suited to the audience’s needs. Information can be in-person, online, or in home study, and may be available in other languages. Some services offered are:

• bed bugs presentations
• courses for childcare facility staff
• courses to operate temporary food concessions at fairs, festivals, exhibitions, carnivals, or other special events
• displays at trade shows and expos
• food sanitation and hygiene courses (the AHS Food Safety Course is required by Alberta’s Food Regulation)
• hand washing and personal hygiene presentations
• home study on food safety (a certificate in basic food safety may be issued)
• swimming pool operators course
• 3-hour courses on food safety (a certificate in basic food safety may be issued)

For more information visit our website.

Environmental Public Health - Housing and Illegal Drug Operations

Requires that owners / operators / landlords / property managers keep public housing healthy and safe for tenants. The service follows up on complaints from tenants or other agencies about housing conditions which may include no heat, water problems, structure problems, or pest problems (mice or other rodents, bed bugs or other insects). If conditions could be dangerous to tenants, they may need to move out. The service works with landlords to fix or remove problems. The service can also order dangerous conditions to be fixed like houses used for illegal drug operations (e.g., marijuana grow ops, meth labs).

For more information visit the Environmental Public Health website.

Environmental Public Health - New Business and Plan Approval

Reviews and approves plans for building or renovating restaurants or other food establishments, swimming pools, social care facilities (e.g., daycares and nursing homes), and personal service facilities (e.g., tattoo studios, spas).

Reviews plans for special events (e.g., fairs, exhibitions, or carnivals) to make sure the right services are available (including washrooms and hand wash stations).

Issues permits and licenses needed for some facilities to operate like:

• a Food Handling Permit for food establishments open to the public
• a Public Swimming Pools Regulation License for swimming pools open to the public

For more information visit the Environmental Public Health website.

Environmental Public Health - Orders, Disclosure and Legal Activity

This service inspects public places. When needed, is granted the power by The Public Health Act to order dangerous conditions to be fixed, removed, destroyed, or declared unfit.

Public health inspectors are designated as executive officers under the Public Health Act (RSA Chapter P-37) and enforce these regulations and standards:

• Artificial Tanning Regulation
• Bodies of Deceased Persons Regulation (AR 135/2008)
• Communicable Diseases Regulation (AR 238/1985)
• Food Regulation (AR 31/2006)
• Food Retail and Foodservices Code
• Housing Regulation (AR 173/1999)
• Institutions Regulation (AR 143/1981)
• Minimum Housing and Health Standards
• Nuisance and General Sanitation Regulation (AR 243/2003)
• Personal Services Regulation (AR 1/2020)
• Personal Services Standards
• Recreation Area Regulation (AR 198/2004)
• Pool Standards
• Public Swimming Pools Regulation (204/2014)
• Standards for Artificial Tanning Facility Signage
• Waiver Regulation (AR 298/2003)
• Work Camps Regulation (AR 218/2002)

For more information visit Health Enforcement Orders

Environmental Public Health - Personal Services

Prevents illness and infection from spreading by:

• reviewing plans for new businesses
• approving facilities before they open
• doing inspections to make sure practices followed are safe and facilities are maintained as regulation requires
• investigating any complaints from clients.

The requirements of the Personal Services Regulation and its related Health Standards and Guidelines apply to services which offer:

• barbering
• body and ear piercing (using guns or needles)
• body wraps
• branding
• chemical hair colouring, straightening and curling
• chemical peels
• cosmetic cryotherapy
• cryolipolysis (cool sculpting)
• dermal jewelry anchoring
• dermal filler injection
• dermal rolling
• earlobe stretching
• electrolysis
• esthetic cupping
• eyebrow threading
• face and body painting
• facial and body waxing
• facials
• hair extension
• haircutting and hairstyling
• henna
• lash and brow tinting
• lash extension
• laser and cosmetic tattoo removal
• laser hair re-growth and restoration
• laser hair removal
• manicure
• microblading
• microderm abrasion
• mud treatments
• neuromodulator injection (botox)
• pedicure
• permanent make-up
• scarification
• shaving
• skin exfoliation
• spray tanning
• tattooing
• teeth whitening
• tooth decoration
• ultraviolet (UV) tanning (tanning beds)
• vaginal rejuvenation

For more information visit the Environmental Public Health website.

Environmental Public Health - Recreational Water

Keeps the public from getting sick when using recreational water by:

• approving pool plans
• inspecting pools and other water facilities to ensure water is safe and sanitary
• teaching operators about proper pool maintenance
• reviewing water sample results (local community health centres may accept water samples for testing for E. coli, total coliforms, and Pseudomonas)

For more information visit the Environmental Public Health page.

Environmental Public Health - Risks: Indoor Air, Outdoor Air, Contaminated Sites

Responds to and investigates health risks from activities like sour gas wells, forest fires, and accidental releases of gasoline, pesticides, or other chemicals.

Reviews and makes recommendations to approving authorities regarding proposed land use developments (e.g., intensive livestock operations, industrial plants, or developments on contaminated sites).

Responds to complaints and investigates indoor air in residences, schools, malls, swimming pools, or other public places. Will also respond to and investigate complaints about outdoor air.

For more information visit our website.

Environmental Public Health - Safe Food

Inspects public food facilities (e.g., restaurants, mobile food trucks, grocery stores, kitchens in daycares and nursing homes) to make sure food is prepared safely.

Applies Food Regulation requirements in public food facilities or operations to areas like:

• bed and breakfast facilities
• commercial caterers
• community organization functions (when food is prepared for the public by volunteers)
• convenience stores and fast food restaurants
• restaurants, delis, and mobile food vendors
• farmers’ markets (licensed by Alberta Agriculture) and their stallholders
• food banks
• food facilities in halls and churches that may be rented to the public
• daycares, nursing homes, group homes, and other care facilities with over 10 clients that offer food service
• grocery stores
• private homes from which low risk home-prepared foods are sold
• temporary food facilities at special events (e.g., fairs, festivals, exhibitions, carnivals, rodeos)
• work-camp food facilities

This program offers guidance but will not apply Food Regulation requirements at private functions like:

• bake sales when low risk foods are sold for charity
• food prepared in a private home for family and guests
• potlucks and other functions not open to the public

For more information visit our website.

Environmental Public Health - Social Care

Reviews plans for new businesses and approves facilities as requested by Children's Services, Inspects many adult and childcare facilities routinely and follows up on complaints from clients or their families. May also provide education for staff in social care facilities.

Applies the requirements of various regulations under the Public Health Act and the CSA Standards in social care facilities including:

• daycares and foster homes
• drop-in centres and shelters
• group family day homes and group homes
• long-term care facilities, nursing homes, and seniors’ lodges
• preschools and out-of-school care
• playgrounds

For more information visit our website

Environmental Public Health - Work Camps

Inspects work camps of all sizes, including camps that move around Alberta or stay in one place. This includes camps used for any type of business (e.g., oil exploration and development, logging, tree planting). Inspections check that food is safely prepared, water is safe to drink, sewage is properly treated and disposed of, and housing conditions are safe.

Teaches companies about requirements for work camps.

Investigates complaints from people living at work camps.

For more information the Environmental Public Health website

Environmental Public Health Program

Work to keep public places (e.g., restaurants, daycares, pools, rental properties, tattoo studios) safe. Tell people about health risks (e.g., unsafe water or housing). Make sure that the Public Health Act is being followed.

Our services include:

For more information visit the Environmental Public Health website.