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PAGE 24, WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1988 It s wrthtakng he tie to select yourfiïnancial institution by Ralph Beslin It's worth taking Uic time 10 se- lect a financial institution. Finan- cial institutions 'have undergone many changes over the. past few years and today banks, trust com- panies and credit unions offe- much more than the traditional services of taking tieposits anti giving out boans. Most of thcm allow you to pay buis, purchase retirement savings packages, get financial advice and buy into a mutual fund. It is important to understand how financial institutions differ 50o that you choose one that will meet ail your financial necds. The first thing you must do, then, is decide what you- want from your financi4l institution. Wile certain considerations, like distance frorn your hOme or work and thc numnber of branches, may play mbt your de- cision, ihey should not be Uic only factors you examnine. Con- venience is important. But, with the dawning of Uic clect.ronic banking networks, mosI. financial institutions are* easily accessible for daily deposiLs and withidra- wals. lnstead, when you choose an institution look at the com- picte package of services, and also makec sure that you will, be comfortable doing business there. Comiparison shop. Study dic accounts offcrcd by atI last tirec institutons. Does each have a chequing account or a chcquingl saving account? What about Dai- ly InteresI. Chcquing and Savings Accounks? Examine Uic range of accounts that are offerecd and se- lect the best ones for your finan- cial needs. For-instance, can you gel an accounit for your child with reduced service charges? Then compare thc best that each of Uic three institutions has to offer. Beyond thc accounts, examine what other services are available. Are you able to ask for, and re- ceive, advice on structuring a re- tiremcnt packaige? Can you find information on basic financial planning, handling credit or bud- geting? Look aI. how the intercst on ac- counts in calculatcd. If a mini- mumn monthly balance must be kept in a chequing account in or- d1er to receive ail the intcrest, make sure you arc able 10 meet this fimit. without too much trou- ble. Sonne institutions will 'not pay any intcest if your minimum balance falis bclow a .specifed li- mnit any lime during thc month. Ask about service charges. Is therc a sct policy regarding ser-' vice charges? Do you think il is a fair one? Think about how this féec structure will rit into your onbudgcting. If you arc chargcd for each ATM transac- tion, and you use Uic machine oftcn, you could end up with a herty charge cach month. Look at the, institution's loan policy. Is it flexible? Will the boan officer take your own parti- cular situation into account, or wilI you be treatcd strictly ac- cording to a set formnula. You should also takc the time to ask about how your funds are protectcd. Funds in banks, and most trust companies, are pro- tected by thc Canada Dcposit In- surance Corporation, a féderaI rcgulatory body. Credit unions arc provincially regulated, and funds are protccted by provincial guarantCc corporations. Finally, consider thc 'general feel' of thc institution. If you fecl you are treated courteously cach time you enter the branch, and all your questions, are answered, you may have found thc right institu- tion for you. Ir you, corne away with a feeling that somct.hing is, not quite right; il may bc time 10 considcr an alternative. Ralph Beslin is Manager of Communications for the Canai- dian Co-operative' Credit So- ciety. . Fo r more information about choosing a financial in- stitution write to Credit Union Financial Counsellor, CCCS, 300 l'le East Mail, 5th I., Is- lington, Ont. M9B 6617. Deteetives solve mus sel toxiin mystery By Dan Cass Last December, a group of Canadian scientists found a needle in an underwater haystack. With unprecedented speed and skill, they solved the deadiy 'Mussel Mystery' of Eastern Canada. Late in Noveniber, 1987, several cases of unusual food poisoning occurred across Canada. The symptoms inciuded vomiting, diarrhea, numbness, convulsions and hallucinations, but in each case the symptomns differed slightly. Because of the diversity of symptoins and the wide geographic distributidfn of the cases, it was difficuit at first to see a pattern in the outbreak. Eventualiy the cases were found to be related to eating certain, seafoods from Eastern Canada..- M,'ussels were the prime agent, but clams and oysters ,were also carriers of the unknown toxin causing the illness, which eventuaily resulted in three deaths. Due to. widespread public panic, shrimp,' lobster and scallops were wrongIy biamed for the poisonings as weil. Not only were lives endangerea by the toxin, but also a tremendous financial toit was taken on the $1 .5 biiion-a-year East Coast seafood industry. On December 1, 1987,, it was announced that the cases were due to some as-yet-unidentified. toxic substance in the mussels. Scientists at the National Researchi Council (NRC) lab ini Halifax immediately began trying to identify the toxin. The resuit is a story of fantastic scientific detectivç work. Dr. Roger Foxall of NRC Halifax explains that the difficuit job of assembling a multi- disciplinary team of 50 people was accomplished in hours. Most of those involved were from NRC Halifax and from the Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans. This teamn unravelled the mystery in just 17 days. "The reason we solved it so quickly (in only 17 days) was that we had ail of these people under the samne roof," says Dr. Geffery Wright, leader of the Mussel Toxîn Project. The scientists worked seven days a- week, fromn 8:30 a.mn. until midnight or later; somne even worked through the night. AlI this occurred at Christmas time, so that parties, shopping and timne with famnilies had to be put on hold until the deadly toxin was isolated. "'They all did this voluntarily; no one had to ask-them," Wright says. "The camaraderie and sense of purpose was incredible." The scientists hoped that identifying the toxin would heip them develop a test s0 that seafood could be checkedbefore being put on the market. It was also hoped that identification of the type of toxin would help doctors who were treating the poisoning victims. At the start, both medical doctors and scientists had little 10, go on. The illness was unlike other shellfish poisonings in Japan or the United States, leading scientists t0 speculate on an entirely new cause. After just 17 days of intensive work, the toxin was identified as domoic acid. The acid was known 10 exist in other parts of the world, but not in Canadian waters. The acid was identified by a series of complex biochemical tests, and was finally isoiated by 'liquid chromatography', a process that allows compounds extractjed from the mussels to be separated, mbt different groups on the basis of certain chemical properties. Once domoic acid was shown to be the culprit, the researchers deveioped a very sensitive test that could detect the acid in minuscule (parts-per-million) quantibies. The test is being made still more sensitive, with a goal of detecting the toxin in parts- per- trilli on quantities. No cases of seafood containing domoic acid have 'slipped through' the test since it was developed-iast' December. However, the outbreak resulbed in three deaths, *and* :153ç- confirmed cases of shellfish poisoflirg. These numbers wouid probably have been much higher if flot for the Halifax team's fast work. Poetry-conùtest offers prizes Prizes worth more than $ 10,000 will be awarded to 151 winning poets in the American Poetry Association's current poetry contest. The grand prize winner receives $ 1,'000. Çontest entry is free andl everyone is welcomne to enter. "Five of our winners have been. Canadians,'" sai d John Frost, chief.. editor of the association. "We hope to see even more Canadian poets entering our contest this year." Interested poets may send up to five poems of no more than 20 limes each, with namne and address on each page, to American Poetry Association, Dept. CN-62, 250 A Potrero Street, P.O. Box 1803, Santa Cruz, CA 95061-1803. Poems niailed by June 30 are eligible to win, prizes awarded by Aug. 31. Another contest beings July 1, ends Dec. 31, prizes by Feb. 28. "New and little-known poets are just the ones we are lookinig for. We want to discover them and spotlight their talent," Frost added. Poems are judged on originality and sincerity, and every poem is also considered for publication. In the last six years the American Poetry Association lias sponsored 26 contests and awarded more than $91,000 in prizes to more than 2,400 winning poets. TOWNE &COUNTRY INSURANCE LTD. I. G. A. Plaza, 370 Broc kSt. S. Downtown Whitby COMPARE BEFOR9E YOU RENEW AUTO * $1,000,000 PL+PD+AB * $250 DED. COLLISION * $50 DED. COMP.* *1986 PONTIAC 6000 $258-.00 6 MONTHS 8:00 a.m. to 6:00Op.m. LMonday to SatUrdaY HOME * $100,000 BUILDING * $75,000 CONTENTS * $,000,000 LIABILITY* *UNDER 16 YR. OLD HOME $189-.00 12 MONTHS 430-TOWN (8696) / )eople Who Gare L"Deal With.Pi j The electronic air cleaner - a must in an energy efficient home (NC)-In these days of high energy prices most homes - even older ones - are fairly 'tight'. This means air does not pass easily in and out when win- dows and doors are shut. 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In addition to giving you cleaner air to breathe the electronic air cleaner helps your heating and cooling systemn function more efficiently. If you are planning on installing a new central air conditioner in your home you should consider an. electronic air cleaner an essential part of it. Or one can be retrofitted to your existing sys- tem. One of' the electronic air cleaners on the market that meets with the approval of most experts is the ICG PURAL- IZER. For ail your home comfort solutions, contact your local ICG Heating & Air Conditonlng Dealer, or for your near- est dealer cail 1-800-387-1300. Dr. Jack Glmour Dr. Carole Wilson Dr. Mark Miller are pléased to announce DR. LARRY GREENLAI) la low assoclated ln the practice of denttstry In the TRIDONT DENTAL CENTRE et HOURS: WHUTDBY CENTRE 24 HOUA Mon. ta Wed. 8-8 Glmiller Bulding EMERGENCY SERVICE Thurs., Fri. 8-4:30 -304 Dundas St. W. FOR APPOINTMENT CALL Set. 8-12 Whltby, Ont., LI N 2M5 668-5181 or888-541l r HeIp your Heari... 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