Calgary’s food trucks get ready for festival season

CALGARY ­— In preparation for festival season, The City of Calgary, in partnership with Alberta Health Services, is hosting a food truck inspection blitz from May 7-9 to make sure food trucks are safe to operate and to streamline the inspection process for food truck owners.

“We know that the festival season is a relatively short one in Calgary” said Cliff de Jong, safety response unit coordinator with The City of Calgary. “We want to work with food truck owners to make sure their business is safe and to help them maximize their business potential by getting them on the road as soon as possible.”

Food trucks in Calgary are considered a small business and require a business license and yearly safety inspections. These safety inspections consist of: plumbing and gas; electrical; fire; ventilation and cooling; and an Alberta Health Services inspection.

“Collectively, our focus is the health and safety of Calgarians,” said Deputy Fire Chief Ken Uzeloc. “These inspections provide peace of mind for Calgarians so they can enjoy their food truck of choice knowing it passed all the proper health and safety inspections.”

In 2009, The City of Calgary had no program in place to allow food trucks to operate within city limits. Recognizing the community-building aspects and to support the entrepreneurial spirit of the city, the food truck pilot program kicked-off.

Nine years later, The City continues to support and encourage this industry in Calgary, which has since grown to include 90 licensed operators.

Calgary is a dynamic and resilient city and The City of Calgary is committed to our economic recovery to fulfil our common purpose – to make life better every day for citizens, customers, communities and businesses. To learn more about business friendly support and initiatives, please visit calgary.ca/deliveringvalue.

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