Posted: November 17th, 2009 - 9:31am by Doug Powell

Oh Scarberia, suburb of Toronto, home to Mike Myers and some of the Barenaked Ladies. Why do your restaurants suck?

A takeout restaurant in Scarborough was fined $20,000 - the maximum penalty - after pleading guilty to four food-safety violations, including a "heavy" cockroach infestation.

The guilty plea last Friday by Chandra's Takeout Restaurant and Catering, at 201 Markham Rd., related to problems that closed it Aug. 24 to Aug. 28. It has since reopened and passed full inspections on Aug. 28 and Nov. 6.

The restaurant was fined $5,000 for each of four infractions: not controlling a pest/insect infestation; failing to protect food from contamination; not having a certified food handler; and for obstructing Toronto Public Health's red closure sign while the restaurant was shut down in August.