Here's why Orleans residents say there is a rat problem

Growing rat problem in Ottawa City creates a 'rat mitigation' team to deal with a burgeoning infestation. CTV's Peter Szperling reports.

Rats are a problem for many in Ottawa, but in one area in particular, people say it’s bad.

Orléans resident Deb Newby does a rat check before letting her dog out.

"Evenings and mornings involve a perimeter check for rodents, which is no way to start the day," she says.

She says her dog was bitten by a rat in December and ended up with a puncture wound to her face.

"Luckily her rabies shots were up to date," she says.

Newby lives about 2 km from LRT construction and says many are dealing with major infestations in their backyards. "The neighbours have caught 17 or more rats."

Councillors in and around Orléans say that they’ve been getting hundreds of calls and e-mails about rat sightings and that the construction of stage 2 LRT is one of the major factors.

"For several years, we’ve had a rat problem, but it’s really increased dramatically with the stage 2 light rail construction," says Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney. "It’s one of these things that we nip this in the bud now, because we don’t have a piper to be able to get these things out of here."

Councillors say other factors include new development, underground utility work, and resurfacing, all of which disturb rats.

"In this cage, right here, last year – one day, I had 15 of them in here," says resident Luc Lacrois. He addressed the problem by trapping them. Last year, he says, he caught more than 80 rats. He lives steps away from the LRT construction.

"I think somebody inside should’ve thought about maybe reducing the rat population before starting work on the LRT."

The city is addressing the problem by re-establishing the "Rat Mitigation Group."

In a statement to CTV News, Marilyn Journeaux, Director of Water Linear Customer Service with the City of Ottawa says, "The Rat Mitigation Working Group meetings began in 2018 and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Ottawa responded by redeploying staff, which disrupted meetings.

"The City of Ottawa re-established a working group in June, composed of cross-departmental representatives from Emergency and Protective Services, Infrastructure and Water Services, Ottawa Public Health, Planning Real Estate and Economic Development, Public Works, and Recreation, Cultural and Facility Services.

"The group is utilizing existing resources and tools to facilitate the sharing of information and help coordinate the city's approach to rat complaints.

"The Rat Mitigation Working Group aligns with the City’s efforts to enhance service delivery, researching best practices, and network with other municipalities, organizations and partners."

According to 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.

"I have a couple of guys dedicated to residential work and yeah, their work has increased quite a bit in the last six to eight months," says Rob Caron with Orkin Canada.

He says that while calls in areas near the LRT construction in Orléans have increased, the issue is citywide. He says there are steps you can take to keep them away.

"Keep their yards clean, don’t leave any composting in sight, make sure you clear it up, try not to hoard," he says. "Wood piles against the home is a big no-no because the rats will harbour and hide behind those piles."

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Josh Pringle.