Does Montreal have a rat problem? Opposition wants rat population controlled
Posted February 7, 2023 5:59 pm.
Montreal’s Opposition party wants the city to develop a plan to control the rat population.
Ensemble Montréal says the rat population has grown to an “uncontrollable” level, according to exterminators the party has spoken to.
The Opposition blames the rise in rat population on the banning of rodenticides, the increase of construction sites and the amount of food and general cleanliness issues in Montreal.
“Montreal has become an all-you-can-eat buffet for rats, who take advantage of our many construction sites to escape,” said Aref Salem, leader of the Opposition, in a statement. “Gone are the days when they were only found in sewers; rats now frequent our homes, universities, parks, businesses and offices.
“This is not a cohabitation we desire.”
Ensemble Montréal estimates the city’s rat population at between five and six million. The party claims exterminators saw their services quadruple in 2022.
The use of rodenticides was banned in January 2022, but will soon be permitted again.
“It would be wrong to believe that the use of rodenticides is a miracle solution,” said exterminator Nathaniel Leavey via the Ensemble Montréal statement.
The Opposition wants the city to:
- Implement a systematic deratting procedure for the duration of a work involving the opening of a sewer system;
- Revise domestic and commercial waste management systems;
- Replace open garbage cans in public areas with closed garbage cans;
- Increase the frequency of cleanup brigades in the 12 boroughs that only have “alternating” brigades;
- Launch an awareness campaign targeted at merchants in the food sector.
