Toronto film festival gets bed bug all-clear

Cinemagoers attending the forthcoming Toronto international film festival can do so safe in the knowledge that the bed bugs won't be biting after authorities called in specialists to investigate a health scare. Fears of an epidemic of the minute insects spread after a patron complained of being bitten after watching a film on Monday at the Scotiabank theatre, the event's main venue for press and industry screenings. Exterminators and trained sniffing dogs were brought in overnight and concluded the site was pest-free. "The safety and security of our guests and staff are our number one concern, which is why we took this claim very seriously and acted immediately," said Pat Marshall of Cineplex, which operates the Scotiabank theatre. She suggested similar scares in Manhattan , combined with a heatwave in Toronto, may have caused festivalgoers to panic. "Recent media coverage related to two New York City theatres has caused a flurry of media calls and guest inquiries and unfortunately has lead many people to jump to erroneous conclusions." This year'sToronto international film festival runs from 9 to 19 September.