Ontario, Canada Regulations - Home Bakery

Business By watermelon Updated 4 Nov 2015 , 4:31pm by khgracie

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cakenovice2010 Posted 5 Feb 2011 , 2:38am
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It seems like the inspector in Hamilton is saying you can use your home kitchen...I was told absolutely not and I live in a small town. They said you cannot use your families kitchen to bake your cakes in or work out of, it must be a separate room altogether with different entrance, plumbing etc.. I guess it just depends on the area?

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mrswendel Posted 6 Feb 2011 , 4:45pm
post #62 of 89

I am in the process of opening a storefront for a cake studo....custom ordered cakes and walkins for cupcakes, pastries, cake truffles, etc. I spoke with our HI and he advised no selling from home at all...unless it was a completely separate licensed kitchen...a home kitchen would not be acceptable.
He was really helpful....went over everything that we would need in a shop (and what we don't need). There are a whole different set of requirements if you want to have seating for customers (as opposed to just pick ups and client consultations) He said he is actually the easy part, its getting pass the building inspectors and fire prevention codes. But said to give him a call anytime if we needed any help.

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FCCakes Posted 7 Feb 2011 , 8:52pm
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Anyone is the Dufferin Region as I have gone on my local town's website and everything is soo confusing as well..

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FCCakes Posted 18 May 2011 , 8:16pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FCCakes

Anyone is the Dufferin Region as I have gone on my local town's website and everything is soo confusing as well..




Bump!!!

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KatSavvy Posted 14 Jul 2011 , 1:06am
post #65 of 89

Is anyone working from the Durham area? I'm in Oshawa and I'm confused by all of the conflicting information. I did plan on working from home and using my own kitchen. I live in a rental property and I'm not sure if I need insurance or how to get it. I'm just getting started and I don't want to get in any trouble with "the man".

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cakenovice2010 Posted 14 Jul 2011 , 1:40am
post #66 of 89

Call your local health unit and ask to speak to the health inspector. He'll give you the laundry list of do's/don'ts on how to get approved.

There is no where that I know of in Canada that you can operate out of your home kitchen. I was told, 'separate kitchen, separate entrance, no pets, separate washroom/plumbing'

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sparkle25 Posted 14 Jul 2011 , 2:19am
post #67 of 89

Anyone aware of the regulations in Waterloo or Guelph region?

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cakenovice2010 Posted 14 Jul 2011 , 2:38am
post #68 of 89

I just googled Guelph Health Unit and did a search on their website and got this: http://www.wdgpublichealth.ca/?q=node/428

It's basically the same anywhere in Canada. GTA cannot operate out of a home.

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SweetySassy Posted 14 Apr 2012 , 5:51pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KatSavvy

Is anyone working from the Durham area? I'm in Oshawa and I'm confused by all of the conflicting information. I did plan on working from home and using my own kitchen. I live in a rental property and I'm not sure if I need insurance or how to get it. I'm just getting started and I don't want to get in any trouble with "the man".




I'm in Oshawa too - I rent a townhouse. I guess based on all of the info I have read - I'm screwed, LOL.
I am a novice cake decorator, I have more developed skills with cupcakes and hand decorated cookies. I have only sold by word of mouth - a few dozen cupcakes and more than a few dozen cookies. I guess if I want to work in this business, I'll have to find someone to work for.

Good luck with your business.

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shalini1 Posted 15 Apr 2012 , 2:16pm
post #70 of 89

morning all,

I noticed a question re: Waterloo area. I just recently read an Ices article about www.icinginspirations.com renting out a kitchen from $5 to $13/hour. They are fully equipped and also allow for storage. This is something to consider if you are in that area (wish I was!)

Good luck

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kaat Posted 15 Apr 2012 , 6:18pm
post #71 of 89

I've been to Icing Inspirations for classes and they are great!! If you are in the waterloo area and are looking for a licensed kitchen the rates are very reasonable and staff is very helpful!

If you are a member of the Canadian Cake Decorators Guild this months meeting is regarding Insurance. Very informative esp. for home bakers.
Sweetsassy and KatSavvy there is a Durham Chapter and this months meeting is Wednesday...

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Bobeba Posted 17 Jul 2012 , 12:41am
post #72 of 89
Quote:
Originally Posted by sparkle25

Anyone aware of the regulations in Waterloo or Guelph region?




Did you find out anything? I myself am from Waterloo.

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KatrinaBroughton Posted 19 Oct 2012 , 2:51pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by muddpuppy


Permitted Use Letter - from city zoning - (I got this before I knew I didn't need it!! A waste of $75 dollars and 10 day waiting period.. lol.. grrrrr....)




I'm curious about this. My husband and I are looking at buying a house in East York in the next few months. Since there are so many houses with basement apartments I started wondering if it would be legal to use the separate basement apartment as a commercial kitchen. I think it would meet all of Toronto's commercial kitchen's requirements, but I'm not sure about zoning. What kind of setup do you have? Is it in a residential area? The economics may not work out, but I'd like to find out if this is even possible.

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0930 Posted 19 Oct 2012 , 3:15pm
post #74 of 89

live in cambridge and know of 2 liscened home bakers. they both do everything by the book and have regular inspections. they both have separte kitchen in their basements where the cakes are baked and assembled

hope that helps

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tymmy Posted 30 Oct 2012 , 12:15pm
post #75 of 89

i'm in york region (woodbridge) and have been unsuccessful in finding info online, but for toronto i found this: http://www.enterprisetoronto.com/index.cfm?linkid=99&linktype=mainlink&content_id=222&fromurl=content&faq_id=135&action=viewItem&faqTopicId=21

 

i'm going to make some call here in york region over the next couple of days to find out more info on this. i'll let you know what i find.

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pastryjen Posted 25 Nov 2012 , 5:26am
post #76 of 89

ATymmy

I'm in York Region, too, Newmarket. You must have a second separate kitchen according to York Region. According to my town, you may only have on kitchen per dwelling. So, no in Newmarket but maybe Woodbridge has different laws for your home.

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crbaking13 Posted 12 Feb 2013 , 8:15pm
post #77 of 89

I am also looking into what it takes to have a home baking business and I feel overwhelmed with all the information and all the legalities. But it would be worth it to be able to bake in my own house.

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caqui Posted 5 Mar 2013 , 10:28pm
post #78 of 89

URGENT !!!

 

I don;t do baking but I am on the same page trying to work from home, but I found a commercial kitchen south of Markham near the 401 available for rent, if anyone wishes to join in and split the rent with me, the monthly rent $1195.00 + T.M.I. If you are interested, please reply with an email or phone #. 

 

The kitchen is 4 years old and has:

 

 

= 1500sft free standing building with lots of parking spaces
= Walk in cooler and freezer
= Exhaust system and cooking equipment
= Convection ovens & Double door proofer, work tables, dough racks
= Hobart mixer, sinks, Stock pots burners, stove, fryer, refrigerated back counter,
= New 200 amps, new air conditioner, new shipping door

 

My business will be preparing frozen cooked meals and I'll need it only twice/week at first so if we could be a group of 4 people or so that would be very little cost to us, and since I won't be baking this might work well! Let me know ASAP if you're interested, reply with your email and I'll contact you. Thanks.

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thewordj316 Posted 23 Sep 2013 , 3:12am
post #79 of 89

Hello,

 

May I please know if you were able to open a legal basement bakery?

I would like to know if you have details regarding the laws governing a basement bakery /catering business. It requires to have a separate entry?

Can you run a small catering business if the basement complies with all electrical, vent, etc. regulations?

 

Thank you kindly,

 

Marius

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thewordj316 Posted 23 Sep 2013 , 3:20am
post #80 of 89

Hi Jane,

 

May I please know if you have any current information regarding running a basement bakery and catering?

 

Thank you very much,

 

Marius

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kaat Posted 2 Oct 2013 , 11:06pm
post #81 of 89

Quote:

Originally Posted by caqui 
 

URGENT !!!

 

I don;t do baking but I am on the same page trying to work from home, but I found a commercial kitchen south of Markham near the 401 available for rent, if anyone wishes to join in and split the rent with me, the monthly rent $1195.00 + T.M.I. If you are interested, please reply with an email or phone #. 

 

The kitchen is 4 years old and has:

 

 

= 1500sft free standing building with lots of parking spaces
= Walk in cooler and freezer
= Exhaust system and cooking equipment
= Convection ovens & Double door proofer, work tables, dough racks
= Hobart mixer, sinks, Stock pots burners, stove, fryer, refrigerated back counter,
= New 200 amps, new air conditioner, new shipping door

 

My business will be preparing frozen cooked meals and I'll need it only twice/week at first so if we could be a group of 4 people or so that would be very little cost to us, and since I won't be baking this might work well! Let me know ASAP if you're interested, reply with your email and I'll contact you. Thanks.

 

I just saw this now ... are you still looking for sharers?

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Wychwood Posted 26 Feb 2014 , 7:38pm
post #82 of 89

AHey,

Thanks for posting this. I am in the process of trying to start a bake from home bakery as well - and would like to know more about the regulations around this (in Ontario). Have you successfully started your at home bakery? Did you need to have a health inspector come in or did you fit under one of the categories your post made reference to?

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Shortkaik Posted 3 Mar 2014 , 2:28pm
post #83 of 89

I'm in the Ottawa area.  I just spoke to the city health inspector on the phone this morning in regards to selling baked goods from home.  She was very clear that under the Health Protection and Promotion Act of Ontario, it would not be possible to operate a food premise from a home kitchen.  She also mentioned specifically Regulation 562 which was mentioned at the start of this thread.

 

She stated that the health inspector cannot inspect residences, and an inspection is required.  It's also required to look into the zoning conditions where you are located.  Now if you had a separate kitchen attached to your home, you'd still have to have it inspected and follow the regulations about zoning.  She said my plan to rent a commercial licensed kitchen is great, but I still must fill out the form for operating a food premise, referencing the commercial kitchen and providing their floor plan.  The medical officer must be aware of your business and where you are operating from - so if someone finds your baked goods, they can look it up and see you have all the necessary documentation.

 

I hope that helps!

 

I know there are a lot of people who operate baking businesses without following these regulations, which is also annoying because those of us who follow the law have higher expenses and must therefore charge our customers more.

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Bobeba Posted 26 Aug 2014 , 6:40pm
post #84 of 89

Hello, 

 

Has anyone progressed with their bakery?

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MsGF Posted 28 Aug 2014 , 12:52pm
post #85 of 89

I think no matter where in Ontario you are located your rules will differ.  I have a Health Inspected kitchen in my home that I sell cakes from.

 

The most irritating thing is that each person is getting different info from their local Health Department.

 

My Health guy said that as soon as you advertise that you sell cakes from home the kitchen you use is now considered "commercial"  and they have the right to inspect.

 

If you want to sell cakes from home your first stop should be to your local Health Department, ask what the regulations are and what you would need to do in order to comply with them.   Once you have that info, it's a starting point.  You will most likely need a separate kitchen, I know a girl who converted her upstairs laundry room into a separate kitchen and moved her laundry to the basement.  It a good solution because there is already plumbing installed.  It has a separate door and window.  Others have built a separate kitchen in their basement, or retro fitted 1/2 their garage, all good solutions.

 

Once you have your regulations in hand you need to talk to your Municipality to see if your plan to renovate and add a separate kitchen is allowed.  If it is you are off and running.

 

One piece of advice is to talk directly to an inspector at your local Health Dept.  not the person who answers the telephone, they will give you wrong info pretty much every time.  My Health guy is the one who regulates and inspects the entertainment industry.  Catering, Tattoo Parlor's, and me home based food business.

 

I also recommend all of you who sell cakes to take the "Safe Food Handling Course"  offered through your local Health Dept.  It's only about $40.00 and once you have it, it's valid for 5 years.  I have mine.  Just say you are taking the class for yourself, they will ask what company you work for, don't get into it, you are taking it for yourself.  The course is open to everyone.

 

I wish you all success in your cake venture.  Don't give up when you run into someone unhelpful or adamant that it isn't possible.  If you don't like the answers given to you from one inspector, talk to another one.

 

Much Love

 

MsGF

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Bobeba Posted 18 Sep 2014 , 2:23am
post #86 of 89

Thanks for the info. I will contact my Health Department and see what they have to say. I would love to work in an actual bakery, better yet, own my own cake decorating studio but with little kids that will be far in the future so for now I would just like to do cakes for family and friends. 

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Sunshine980 Posted 20 Nov 2014 , 12:32am
post #87 of 89

Hi There!

I'm also in barrie and I called the health inspectors and they basically told me I had to have a separate entrance, and second kitchen.  When I asked why, he stated that they need to do inspections. I inquired why I couldn't use my "family" kitchen and he said because they can't come into our house.  Even invited.  This makes NO sense to me whatsoever! It's such a tricky gray area that nobody seems to know what to do but we want to do it right & not be "burned".

SInce you posted this, have you found out anymore information?  May be just by using the FB and Kijiji marketing/word of mouth that is good enough?  Best of luck!

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sweetcherry_00 Posted 20 Oct 2015 , 11:29pm
post #88 of 89

Hi All,

There is a website called Handyq, that allows you to sell your baked goods online. Check it out. www.handyq.com

You can start off using licensed and certified kitchens in some community centers and then when sales start to improve you can start renovating your basement to your local HI requirements. 

Hope this helps


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khgracie Posted 4 Nov 2015 , 4:31pm
post #89 of 89

That looks great, but don't forget to read the fine print


Government Regulations

Sellers or Users should understand how the laws work in their respective cities. Some cities have laws that restrict the Seller's or owner's ability to post and sell items for the Guests and public consumption. These Laws are usually part of the Ministry of Health and your local health departments. In many cities, Sellers or Users must register, get a permit or obtain a license before Listing their goods or items or accepting purchases from buyers. Local governments may vary from one another in how they enforce these laws. Please check with your local Health department before you start posting or selling your products on HandyQ.

Depending on the circumstances, such as the number of transactions you conduct, the subject matter of the transaction, licenses or certifications might be applicable to you. You agree that it is your sole responsibility to obtain any licenses or certifications that might be required to conduct a transaction or otherwise use the Services or Site. HandyQ is not responsible for determining whether or not you should be licensed and/or certified for the use of the Services or Site, or for conducting a transaction. HandyQ makes no representation or guarantee about licensing or certification of its Users or Members.

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