Rats should be exterminated as soon as the sewers are opened during construction sites and waste management should be reviewed in Montreal to control the population of these rodents, says the opposition as more and more of the pests have been observed in many neighborhoods including Park-Extension.
Several rats have pointed the tip of their noses since January in the metropolis, in particular at Émilie-Gamelin park and at UQAM, in the borough of Ville-Marie.
The City of Montreal has indicated that traps have been placed in the park to control their presence. But the opposition believes that this is not enough. The number of rats would fluctuate between 5 and 6 million in Montreal.
“Rat management is deficient and problematic. Several exterminators are talking about an uncontrollable increase, with four times more calls in 2022 compared to previous years,” said Ensemble Montreal leader Aref Salem on Tuesday February 7th.
During a press briefing, he presented a plan that he intends to submit to the Plante administration at the next city council. The opposition suggests in particular exterminating rats each time a sewer system must be opened for work. “Construction sites, when you open the sewers to the sky, it’s a highway that can be used by rats,” confirmed Nathaniel Leavey, exterminator, and owner of Entreprises Maheu.
Ensemble Montréal also wants the number of waste collections to be increased and closed garbage cans to be installed in public places.
“These are two measures that can change a lot, especially if you go to a city where waste collection is done once every two weeks without there being closed bins,” said Salem.
The opposition wants the brigades that ensure the cleanliness of the City to be increased, especially in the boroughs that do not have additional brigades in the summer.
Prevention is crucial
Exterminator Nathaniel Leavey welcomes the City’s decision to reauthorize the use of a pesticide that had been banned in January 2022. However, he judges that the use of rodenticides is not a “miracle solution”. “To remedy the flagrant increase in the population, we must also act in prevention”, he underlined. The opposition invites Montrealers to report the presence of rats in order to better count their population.
