TIFF folk heave sigh of relief after confirming Scotiabank Theatre doesn’t have bedbugs

Earlier today, we reported that TIFF co-director Cameron Bailey and Cineplex Odeon were scrambling to do damage control after a theatre-goer tweeted about a friend being bitten by bedbugs at the Scotiabank Theatre. Turns out the whole thing was bunk. TIFF and Cineplex got in front of the story so quickly, we in the media got whiplash: “Late yesterday afternoon, Cineplex contracted the services of Abell Pest Control Inc., (Abell), who are experts in their field, to investigate a claim,” Cineplex spokesperson Pat Marshall told the Toronto Star. “After a thorough investigation overnight, which involved a specially trained sniffing dog and a secondary visual inspection, Abell has confirmed that there were no bedbugs located within the Scotiabank Theatre.”

• Inspection finds no bedbugs in theatre, Cineplex says [Toronto Star]
• No bedbugs in TIFF theatre, Cineplex confirms [Globe and Mail]