Rats infesting Cambridge neighbourhood, residents claim

CTV Kitchener: Neighbourhood pest problem Residents of a Cambridge neighbourhood say rats have moved into their backyards and garages. Mary Cranston has more.

Some north Cambridge residents say they’re fed up with rats in their neighbourhood – and they want the city to compensate them for damage done by the rodents.

Tracy Bedard has lived in the Munch Avenue area for five years.

She says she’d never noticed a rat problem until this past winter.

“Since then, they’ve just been more and more and more,” she said in an interview.

“You can hear the scurrying, or if they get stuck you can hear the squealing that they make. It’s just not that pretty.”

In one weekend alone, Bedard says, 17 rats were caught and killed on their property.

Neighbour Dale Gallan says a dozen rats found their way into her traps in a short timespan.

“We never had a problem with this before. I’m sure of it,” she said.

It’s not clear where the rats came from, but Bedard suspects it may have something to do with a former auto wrecking yard that was cleared out a few months ago.

In an email, Cambridge chief building official Dennis Purcell said that the city recommends people keep their yards maintained, “properly contain” their garbage, and contact an exterminator if a rodent problem persists.

Bedard says she’s already taking care of the first two items, and doesn’t know what good an exterminator would do, given other rats could move in to take the place of the ones dealt with by the professional.

With reporting by Mary Cranston