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.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.
Robbers made off with 'several million euros' of jewels in armed heist at Harry Winston store in Paris
Armed robbers who used a motorbike as a battering ram made off with 'several million euros' worth of valuables in a heist of the luxury Paris boutique of self-declared 'Jeweler to the Stars' Harry Winston, the French prosecutor’s office overseeing the police probe said.
BREAKING NEWS Serious boat crash kills 3, injures 5 on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake: OPP
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
The secret Italian lakes that most tourists don't know about
Italy has dozens of secret smaller lakes that boast superb scenery, unknown to mass tourism, where locals get together on day trips and enjoy picnics.
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Ottawa driver who appeared to be racing another vehicle on Highway 416 facing charges
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says an Ottawa driver is facing charges after being caught going 187 km/h on Highway 416.
Helicopter carrying Iran's president suffers a 'hard landing,' state TV says without further details
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi suffered a 'hard landing' on Sunday, Iranian state media reported, without immediately elaborating.
What we've learned so far in the Trump hush money trial and what to watch for as it wraps up
Testimony in the hush money trial of Donald Trump is set to conclude in the coming days, putting the landmark case on track for jury deliberations that will determine whether it ends in a mistrial, an acquittal — or the first-ever felony conviction of a former American president.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.