The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

I. FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2000 4 - PORT PERRY "WEEKEND STAR" Downtown Port Perry on Queen St. Sunday, April 23 starts at 12 noon & Rain or Shine & Prizes for all © Between the ages of 3 and 7 COME EARLY TO MEET Cyclospora fears prompt call Region backs ban on bad berries Durham Region Health Department officials are join- ing with the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (ALPHA) of Ontario in supporting ALPHA's requested ban on the spring importation of fresh Guatemalan rasp- berries and blackberries. - Over the past four years, hundreds of Ontario resi- dents have become ill from the parasite, Cyclospora. While most of the recognized outbreaks have occurred in the Toronto area, public health officials throughout the province state that these measures are required to protect the health of all Ontario residents. "With Ontario's capability to rapidly distribute imported foods throughout the province, contaminated berries could conceivably be sold from Ottawa to Kenora," said Dr. Lynn Noseworthy, chair of the Medical Officer of Health Section for ALPHA. . "We are calling on Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection:Agency to ban the spring importation of these berries to protect the public's health." Cyclospora causes watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and fatigue. If untreated, symptoms may persist for days to weeks. More severe and pro- longed disease may be experienced by those with a weakened immune system. "Although washing all fruits and vegetables is good preventive practice the Cyclospora parasite may persist despite usual washing and rinsing," said Dr. Donna Reynolds, Durham Region Associate Medical Officer of Health. "In one case, infection may have been acquired by consuming a single berry." From September 1998 to December 1999, the federal government banned importation of fresh Guatemalan raspberries. Despite repeated calls to continue the ban on raspberries, and a request to expand the ban to include fresh Guatemalan blackberries, Health Canada has yet to assure Ontario public health physicians that a full ban will be implemented. The spring importation season began March 15. To date, there are no good measures to detect Cyclospora- contaminated berries. ~~ TOWNSHIP 3 OF SCUGOG 22 Public Notice Good Friday Holiday Re: Garbage & Blue Box Collections Schedule Change Due to the upcoming Good Friday Holiday (April 21, 2000), Port Perry residents who would normally receive garbage & blue box collection on that Friday (South of Queen Street & Port Perry Commercial Area) will be re- scheduled to Saturday, April 22, 2000. Please ensure that your waste & recycling materials are placed at the curb by 7:00 am. Collection for all other residents in the Township of Scugog will remain on regular Sshiediled days. Earl S. Cuddie AM.C.T, CMC. Administrator-Clerk ~ Scugog Community Centre (Arena Hall) "1655 Reach Rd., Port Perry ~ RSVP 985-9746 ° 1-800-403-2858 Seating Limited o Refreshments P Provided ended % REP RT dae ae Va Spring market heating up: real estate board The Durham Region Real Estate Board reports a record 835 sales of single- family dwellings in Durham Region in March. This is a 35.8 per cent increase over 615 sales in February of this year and 13.9 per cent more than 733 sales report- ed in March 1999. This rep- resents the highest number of sales in Durham Region in overayear. The average price in March also set a record at $180,411 up 2.4 per cent from $176,176 in February, and up nearly 10 per cent from $165,255 recorded in March 1999. "These are indicators of a 'hot' spring market where inventories are still reason- ably low causing prices to push higher, said Ted McCracken, president of the Durham Region Real Estate Board. There were 1,662 total active listings reported in March up 18 per cent from 1,409 in February and down 7 per cent from 1,800 active listings in March 1999. SEMINAR PRESENTATION « Critical Hiness Protection $ » Home and Facility Care Coverage $ vs NO Tuesday, May 2nd 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Scugog Memorial Library 231 Water Street, Port Perry, Ontario * Door Prizes * Seminar Notebook x Refreshments ConTACT: Bruce Rodman of