Kanata residents vote in support of $20 a year payment to deal with mosquitoes

Residents living in Kanata North have voted in favour of spending $20 a year to kill nuisance mosquitoes in the west Ottawa neighbourhood.

A report for Tuesday's finance and corporate services committee recommends Council approve the continuation of the Kanata North Mosquito Nuisance Program to spray for mosquitoes in each of the next four years.

If Council approves the special levy, an extra $20.26 a year, based on 2024 costs, will be added to the average residential property tax bill for people living in Kanata North to deal with mosquitoes.

The Kanata North Nuisance Mosquito Control Program targets mosquito larva found in wetlands to prevent hatching.  From April to September, control agents are applied to the treatment area in and around Kanata North.

The special levy for the Kanata North Nuisance Mosquito Control Program was first approved in 2016, and the program was extended for four years in 2019 following a community-wide vote.

A report for the committee shows 3,320 households voted "Yes" to the levy for the 2024 to 2027 period, while 721 residents voted "No" on the question of "Do you support a levy to continue the Kanata North Nuisance Mosquito Control Program?"

According to the city, the program will cost $1.8 million over four years to administer.