East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation

Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.

Kylia White and her husband Kelly O’Neill have never seen a spring like this in 25 years.

"It's just been a month of, I want to say, hell," says White.

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Over the past couple of months, dozens of rats have taken over their property, destroying everything in sight.

"Thousands of dollars of property is being destroyed, like thousands," says White.

Her $5,000 hot tub is now filled with holes where rats tunnelled through it. Her entire deck had to be dismantled and is now ready for the junkyard. Their vehicle’s engine is crawling with rats at all hours of the day.

"When I start it, they start dropping out. I'm running them over every time I move my car," says O’Neill.

"When I opened up the hood of my husband's vehicle, I noticed that they jumped out of there," adds White.

Monday was no different. As they opened the hood, a rat was sitting right on the engine block then ran under the vehicle.

White says she has tried multiple times to contact bylaw for help, with little to no luck.

"Children are here, animals are here. It's a health issue. It's a safety issue," White says.

The city said in a statement to CTV News that it is investigating the rat problem at this address.

"I think we actually have to have a rat hotline essentially, that's how bad it's become and it's only getting worse," said Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney. "And that's not just because of LRT. It's because of building construction in general. We’re building faster and taller than ever before and my ward is feeling it."

The couple says they are seeing about 20-30 rats per night scurry across their property, multiplying faster than anyone can keep up.

"You know, I don't know what else to do. I've done everything I could possibly do. At my own expense," says White.

CTV News tried contacting the management team in charge of these apartments, but did not receive a response.