Study finds Ottawa as one of the 'rattiest' cities in Canada

Aw rats!

A new study finds Ottawa is one of the top 10 cities in Canada for rodents, with the City of Toronto claiming the top spot for the second year in a row.

The study, conducted by pest control service Orkin Canada, placed Ottawa as number eight out of 25 cities in the country and number three in Ontario.

This year’s list saw populous cities Toronto and Vancouver continue to battle it out for first place in the rat race.

Ottawa, Scarborough and Moncton made it back to the top 10 list this year.

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Orkin Canada says the study was based on the number of commercial and residential rat and mice treatments the company carried out from Aug. 1 2022 through July 31 2023.

“Rat and mice calls used to be expected primarily in the fall and winter as they escape the cold outdoors, but now they are becoming a year-round effort,” said Alice Sinia, pest specialist and entomologist with Orkin Canada.

“Longer summer seasons coupled with abundant food sources provide ideal conditions for exponential growth in rodent populations, which is why it is more important than ever to use integrated pest management techniques to tackle all of the conditions that allow mice and rats to proliferate.”

The top 10 rattiest cities in Canada in 2023 are:

1. Toronto
2. Vancouver
3. Burnaby
4. Kelowna
5. Mississauga
6. Richmond
7. Victoria
8. Ottawa
9. Scarborough
10. Moncton

Rodents have been a growing problem in the city in recent years.

The city has re-established its internal 'Rat Mitigation Working Group' to help get a handle on the rat issue.

According to open data from the city of Ottawa, calls to 3-1-1 about rats have more than doubled from 2019 to 2022 citywide. In 2019, there were 510 calls about rats. That jumped to 842 in 2020 and then 1,197 calls in 2021. In 2022, it dipped slightly to 1,094.

In the former Orléans ward in particular, rat calls rose from 38 in 2019 to 164 in 2022, according to city data. The city of Ottawa's open data show there were 278 requests to 3-1-1 about rat infestations in the first five months of 2023, including dozens from residents in Orléans, Beacon Hill-Cyrville and River wards.

More regions across Canada are seeing the introduction of rodenticide bans amidst a growing rodent population.

The City of Pickering became the first city in Ontario to act against rodenticides in 2023 but there are no such by-laws on the books in Ottawa.

Orkin says Canadians can mitigate a rat problem in their homes by implementing a variety of tactics which include:

• Sealing cracks or holes in exterior walls, expansion joints and foundations, and install weather stripping around windows and doors.
• Installing screens on utility openings and ducts.
• Reducing harbourage by trimming shrubs and grass, removing weeds and clearing unnecessary clutter from the yard and near the property.
• Getting rid of moisture sources, such as clogged gutters.
• Storing objects away from exterior walls and about 45 centimetres off the ground.
• Rodent proof sheds, which can be major breeding and harbourage spots for rodents in the winter.
• Garbage attracts rodents by providing them with food and water. Practice good waste disposal by keeping garbage and food waste away from your property. Use tight-fitting lid containers and be cautious about garbage overflow.

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Peter Szperling