A well-established neighbourhood restaurant in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, on the South Shore, faced a tricky situation when raccoons began searching the garbage room adjacent to the kitchen and damaging the ventilation grill of the hood. The management of the establishment immediately suspended the use of the waste room and contacted the health authorities, who required a certified intervention before the next inspection. Mont-Saint-Hilaire, with its proximity to the mountain that gives it its name and the wildlife corridors that connect this massif to the McMasterville wetlands, offers a favourable habitat for raccoons that regularly venture into commercial areas. The extermination team in Mont-Saint-Hilaire coordinated the intervention with the restaurant’s management for a quick and compliant settlement.
Inspection of catering facilities
The inspection of a catering establishment takes into account the specific health requirements of the food sector. The technician inspected the garbage room, the delivery area, the exterior perimeter of the building, the kitchen ventilation ducts and the roof vents. Two entry points were identified: the partially torn hood ventilation grille on the rear façade and a gap between the delivery dock slab and the brick cladding. Fresh droppings in the garbage room, deep scratches on bin handles and footprints on the ground confirmed daily night-time visits. No active nests were found in the building, the animals mainly used the property as a food source rather than as a permanent habitat.
Rapid capture to restore health compliance
Catching raccoons in a restaurant should be a top priority to restore regulatory compliance. Three live-trap cages have been installed around the outer perimeter, with identified accesses and along the usual animal movement corridors. The traps were checked every morning before the restaurant opened. Two adults were captured over two nights and relocated immediately. The 48-hour verification with no additional activity concluded the capture phase. The entire process has been documented, with photos and a written report, to allow the restaurant to present a complete file during the health inspection. Our expertise in capturing and relocating animals allows us to respond to these health emergencies with the documentary rigour they require.
Cleaning and decontamination of the garbage room
The contaminated garbage room has been thoroughly decontaminated in accordance with food industry standards. The floor was cleaned with a high-pressure jet and then treated with a certified disinfectant for food use. The walls and ceiling of the room have been washed and disinfected. The waste bins were cleaned and disinfected individually. An enzymatic deodorizing treatment was applied to eliminate residual pheromones and prevent any return of animals attracted by odors. A detailed compliance report, including the technical data sheets of the products used, was given to the management for its sanitary inspection files. Check out our documented accomplishment in a similar business context to see the consistency of our approach.
Sustainable security and reorganisation of waste management
The hood ventilation grille was replaced with a tightly meshed stainless steel model that is resistant to break-in attempts. The space under the delivery dock was filled with reinforced hydraulic mortar. The door to the garbage room was equipped with a rodent-resistant low door seal and a self-closing latch. The kitchen staff has been given specific instructions on waste management: take out the bags only at the time of collection, systematically close the garbage room and immediately report any sign of new intrusion. These simple measures, combined with closure work, are the most effective protection against recurrence in an area as active as Mont-Saint-Hilaire. For additional examples of our work on the South Shore, check out our case study on another commercial establishment. For any new needs, Nova Extermination remains available quickly throughout the South Shore.