The City of Ottawa will continue to conduct more frequent garbage cleanup in high-traffic areas, sewer baiting in problem areas and increase public education campaigns in neighbourhoods to address rat issues across the city. Rideau-Vanier continues to be the hot spot for rat complaints, with 73 calls to 3-1-1 about rats in 2024 and 12 calls in the first three months of 2025. There were 43 complaints about rats in Capital ward in 2024, 38 calls to 3-1-1 from Orleans East-Cumberland and 37 requests for service from Beacon Hill-Cyrville. Ottawa’s 3-1-1 line received 512 calls for service about rats in 2024 and 72 in the first three months in 2025. There were 845 calls for service about rats in 2023. In April, Coun. Tim Tierney asked city staff for an update on the city’s anti-rat working group and the plan to deal with problem areas this year. Staff say the Rat Mitigation Working Group is using several tactics to address concerns about rats, including public education campaigns to inform residents about best practices to prevent rats, improving waste collection and disposal practices that reduce food sources and regular inspection and maintenance of sewer systems. In response to Tierney’s motion or the environment and climate change committee, Infrastructure and Water Services general manager Tammy Rose said, to support wards in addressing rat issues, the city will employ the following tactics: The City of Ottawa has also developed a new Rat Sightings Reporting Tool for residents to report rats. “Requests submitted through the form will be actioned by the appropriate team,” Rose said. “This is a major step toward tracking and reducing the rat population.” Rat Mitigation Working Group The City of Ottawa provided an update on the work of the Rat Mitigation Working Group late Tuesday, outlining some of the steps being taken to assist in controlling rat populations. Some of the other work underway includes: Tierney’s motion shows the number of 3-1-1 requests for rats in each ward in 2024.
