Latest news with #BernieGrafe
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Climate change helping rats thrive in Canada, experts say
After years of rising complaints and worsening infestations, Toronto has all-but-officially declared a war on rats—one made necessary for reasons that may (or may not) surprise you. 'Climate change is a huge, huge driver here,' said City Councillor Alejandra Bravo in an interview with The Weather Network, explaining that Canada's cold winter temperatures once served as a natural form of pest-control. Not to mention birth control. DON'T MISS: 'But with climate change, they can reproduce constantly,' she said. 'A single pair can produce hundreds of offspring in one year. Maybe even as high as one thousand.' Orkin Canada's Bernie Grafe agreed that earlier springs and longer warm seasons are allowing rats to both survive in greater numbers and breed at breakneck speeds. 'Plus you're getting a rodent population that is getting smarter, getting more resilient,' he said. 'The longer that a rodent population will exist within a confined structure, the longer they have the ability to adapt. They just get smarter to the environment. They also get smarter at eluding traps. I mean, we have videos showing rats picking up sticks to set off rat traps, right?' Warmer temperatures due to climate change have helped rat populations grow in urban centres such as Toronto. (A Shot of Wildlife) Climate + construction = perfect rat storm It's not just the warmer weather. In Canada's biggest cities, rats are also being pushed out of their underground nests by construction projects…and into nearby homes and businesses. 'As soon as you shake up the ground and those nests… now they need a new home to live,' said Grafe. 'It doesn't take long for them to look next door and go, 'Hey, this looks great.'' Nowhere is this more apparent than in Toronto, where near-constant development is wreaking havoc in some neighbourhoods. Bravo, a key player behind the push for a coordinated rat response at City Hall, says she started hearing from residents about rats in 2022 while knocking on doors during the municipal election campaign. RELATED: 'A woman called into our office saying that she lives near construction, that her daughter had been awoken in the middle of the night by a rat jumping on her bed. Imagine what that does to that family.' Another woman reportedly told Bravo that 'rats were sunning themselves outside her screen door' every day, forcing the woman to 'bang on the glass every morning just to leave the house.' WATCH: Invasive species cost $1.3 trillion to world economy over nearly a half century Click here to view the video Not just a Toronto problem While Toronto may be the 'rattiest city in Canada,' it's not the only one seeing a surge. Cities like Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver are also experiencing more infestations—something experts warn could become the new normal as climate patterns shift. 'Ottawa is dealing with this right now… I got a request for an interview from Radio Canada in Montreal. They're also looking at this,' Bravo says. 'This isn't a problem that's going to go away. It's a problem that's only going to grow.' To wit, a U.S.-based study published in early 2025 found 'significant increasing trends in rat numbers' in 11 of 16 major cities worldwide. Toronto came in at spot number three with a faster-growing rat problem than Amsterdam, Buenos Aires and even New York City. 'Increasing rat numbers in cities are linked to climate warming, urbanization, and human population,' declare the study's authors. 'Warming temperatures and more people living in cities may be expanding the seasonal activity periods and food availability for urban rats. Cities will have to integrate the biological impacts of these variables into future management strategies.' A chart showing the number of rodent-related service requests in the city of Toronto from 2015-2024. (The Weather Network) A coordinated approach Rodent-related complaints have skyrocketed by more than 116 per cent in Canada's largest city over the past decade. In 2015, the City of Toronto received 1,165 service requests related to rodents. By 2024, that number had grown to 2,523. Unlike Alberta—where a no-nonsense Rat Control Program has kept infestations at bay—or Ottawa, which has a Rat Mitigation Working Group to coordinate citywide enforcement efforts, Toronto has never had a unified rat strategy. Until now. Councillors officially approved a new plan to get rodents under control during a meeting at City Hall on July 24. The initiative is expected to take effect sometime in 2026. SEE ALSO: First introduced by city manager Paul Johnson in June, the proposal outlines the creation of a dedicated rat response coordination team, public education campaigns, coordinated outreach to construction site managers, and blitz-style inspections in neighbourhoods with high rat density. While rats are not considered a major public health threat in Toronto, officials say the psychological impact on residents is real. 'Some people living in areas with rat infestations also report psychological distress, disturbed sleep and stress arising from safety concerns from perceived risk of disease transmission and damage to their homes,' reads a report from the City of Toronto. 'Rat sightings may affect mental health through the perceptions of powerlessness, neighbourhood stigma and fear associated with other neighbourhood disorders.' Prevention Over Elimination So what can individuals do to help combat the problem? Grave says the key is prevention, not just extermination. That means addressing the conditions that allow rats to thrive in the first place: garbage left in the open, structural gaps in buildings, and overgrown vegetation that offers shelter. 'If you eliminate breeding and feeding and places for them to hide… that could be something as simple as landscaping or garbage control,' he explains. 'Every time you have one of those situations in a back alley, where someone's decided that they're going to throw seven bags of garbage beside the dumpster because it's too full, well, guess what? You just created a buffet for every rat in the neighborhood.' Rats can be attracted to garbage that hasn't been disposed of properly. (Lauren O'Neil/TWN) Bravo agrees — and says public participation is going to be essential in any city's success. 'We have to recruit the people of Toronto to be part of the solution,' she said, pointing to proper food disposal and waste management, but also more benign-seeming human behaviours. 'When people feed pigeons, they don't realize they're also feeding rats, and that's something that we have to start to tell people: don't feed wildlife, because the rats are going to come and eat it.' 'Rodent populations go hand in hand with human existence… the amount of garbage and food that we do produce,' said Grafe similarly. 'The one recommendation I do have is to just take action. Ignoring it is never going to solve the problem.' Thumbnail image made with Canva Pro.
CTV News
21-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Are tick populations rising in Ontario? How to protect yourself against them
This undated photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a black-legged tick. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-CDC via AP Not to tick you off, but the height of tick season is nearly here, and Ontario could see more of the pesky critters this year. While it may be too soon to tell whether there will still be an upward trend in tick populations this summer, Manisha Kulkarni, professor of epidemiology and public health in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa and researcher with the UPTick project, says that has been the common shift over the last few years. 'This trend has been going on for a number of decades, expanding out of the northeastern United States and it's attributed to a number of different factors—one of them being climate change,' Kulkarni explained. Longer periods of warm weather allow the ticks to be more active, find hosts and reproduce, Kulkarni says, noting that warmer winter temperatures make it easier for these bugs to survive at higher altitudes. Bernie Grafe, the GTA Residential Area Manager at Orkin Canada, said they have already started to see an uptick in tick activity this spring since wildlife has come out of hibernation and vegetation has started to grow back. 'Those ticks are now being transported with ease,' Grafe said. 'We had a very, very wet end of winter, which is seeing (a) significant increase in pest activity, including mosquitoes and ticks.' What types of ticks live in Ontario? Where are they typically found? The two tick species of note in Ontario are the ixodes scapularis, commonly called deer ticks or blacklegged ticks, and the American dog tick or wood tick. Deer ticks are often found in Eastern Ontario, while dog ticks are spotted in southern Ontario, Kulkarni says. It also depends on the time of year for which ticks are most active, she adds. Public Health Ontario says blacklegged ticks have established themselves along the north shores of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, but have also been found in other areas like Haliburton, Kawartha, Muskoka, Thunder Bay and Lake of the Woods. The health agency has mapped out 'established risk areas' of where these ticks are, which it updates annually. As for where they live, Kulkarni says deer ticks are often found in wooded or brushy areas as they rely on white-tailed deer to reproduce. 'It's going to be a higher percentage of them being in sort of wooded and forested areas, long grass areas, fields with sort of orphan-grown grass,' Grafe said, but said residential neighbourhoods with active chipmunk, raccoon, squirrel and mice populations could also see them pop up in their neighbourhoods as the rodents spread them to backyards. That said, ticks can be found nearly anywhere as they can attach themselves to migratory birds, Kulkarni notes. 'We call these adventitious ticks or inventive ticks. They don't always establish a population in these areas,' Kulkarni said. What diseases do ticks carry? Deer ticks not only carry Lyme disease, but can also transmit other tick-borne pathogens like anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus infection—which are all under surveillance in Ontario. How to protect yourself from ticks Wearing long clothing and applying Health Canada-approved insect repellent like DEET or icaridin can help repel or kill ticks, Kulkarni says. Also, wearing closed-toed shoes and tucking pants into your socks can help prevent ticks from burrowing into your skin. 'Being cautious when you come back home, doing a tick check—looking for any ticks that might be crawling on you or attached—and making sure to really remove those ticks promptly if they have been found,' Kulkarni said. Kulkarni recommends consulting with a pharmacist to see if you're eligible for tick bite prophylaxis, which can help prevent infection if a tick did attach itself to your skin or had the opportunity to transmit any bacterium. How to remove a tick If a tick has latched itself onto your skin, the province recommends using fine-tipped tweezers to take hold of the bug—as close to your skin as possible—and pull it straight out with a gentle, but firm, grip. It is crucial to not crush the tick, the province says, as it could cause Lyme bacteria to trickle into your bloodstream. The province also advises against using a lit match or cigarette, petroleum jelly, nail polish or nail polish remover, kerosene, or liquid soap to remove the tick. 'People have to be wary that when removing these ticks they have to be sure to also get the head,' Grafe told CTV News Toronto. Grafe notes this is due to the fact that ticks tend to bury their head underneath the skin. Once the tick has been removed, the province advises to wash your skin with soap and water before disinfecting with rubbing alcohol or an iodine swab. Then place the tick in an airtight container, like an empty pill bottle, and identify what kind of bug it is before consulting with a health professional on next steps. How to spot Lyme disease 'It's also really important to monitor for any symptoms like fever-like symptoms or rash—an expanding bullseye rash at the tick bite site. These are all signs that it could be a Lyme disease infection,' Kulkarni said. 'So it's really important to get assessed quickly by a healthcare provider.' Other symptoms of Lyme disease include the chills, fatigue, headache, joint pains, muscle aches, spasms or tingling, and facial paralysis. 'It's usually the infants or teenager, immature ticks that will carry the Lyme disease, and they typically have to feed for about 24 hours,' Grafe said. 'So, if people catch this right away, they should be relatively safe.' The number of cases of Lyme disease seen in Ontario have been on a steady rise since 2014, Kulkarni said, pointing to Public Health Ontario's data. Over a decade ago, Ontario logged 257 cases of Lyme disease in the province. This number roughly septupled by 2023, where PHO reported 1,865 cases, including 84 who were hospitalized. 'The risk of acquiring Lyme disease in Toronto overall is believed to be low,' Toronto Public Health said in a statement. Last year in Toronto, 57 blacklegged ticks tested positive for six tick-borne pathogens with nearly half of them carrying Borrelia burgdorferi, one of the causative agents of Lyme disease.
CTV News
21-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Are tick populations rising in Ontario? How to protect yourself against them
This undated photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a black-legged tick. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-CDC via AP Not to tick you off, but the height of tick season is nearly here, and Ontario could see more of the pesky critters this year. While it may be too soon to tell whether there will still be an upward trend in tick populations this summer, Manisha Kulkarni, professor of epidemiology and public health in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa and researcher with the UPTick project, says that has been the common shift over the last few years. 'This trend has been going on for a number of decades, expanding out of the northeastern United States and it's attributed to a number of different factors—one of them being climate change,' Kulkarni explained. Longer periods of warm weather allow the ticks to be more active, find hosts and reproduce, Kulkarni says, noting that warmer winter temperatures make it easier for these bugs to survive at higher altitudes. Bernie Grafe, the GTA Residential Area Manager at Orkin Canada, said they have already started to see an uptick in tick activity this spring since wildlife has come out of hibernation and vegetation has started to grow back. 'Those ticks are now being transported with ease,' Grafe said. 'We had a very, very wet end of winter, which is seeing (a) significant increase in pest activity, including mosquitoes and ticks.' What types of ticks live in Ontario? Where are they typically found? The two tick species of note in Ontario are the ixodes scapularis, commonly called deer ticks or blacklegged ticks, and the American dog tick or wood tick. Deer ticks are often found in Eastern Ontario, while dog ticks are spotted in southern Ontario, Kulkarni says. It also depends on the time of year for which ticks are most active, she adds. Public Health Ontario says blacklegged ticks have established themselves along the north shores of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, but have also been found in other areas like Haliburton, Kawartha, Muskoka, Thunder Bay and Lake of the Woods. The health agency has mapped out 'established risk areas' of where these ticks are, which it updates annually. As for where they live, Kulkarni says deer ticks are often found in wooded or brushy areas as they rely on white-tailed deer to reproduce. 'It's going to be a higher percentage of them being in sort of wooded and forested areas, long grass areas, fields with sort of orphan-grown grass,' Grafe said, but said residential neighbourhoods with active chipmunk, raccoon, squirrel and mice populations could also see them pop up in their neighbourhoods as the rodents spread them to backyards. That said, ticks can be found nearly anywhere as they can attach themselves to migratory birds, Kulkarni notes. 'We call these adventitious ticks or inventive ticks. They don't always establish a population in these areas,' Kulkarni said. What diseases do ticks carry? Deer ticks not only carry Lyme disease, but can also transmit other tick-borne pathogens like anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus infection—which are all under surveillance in Ontario. How to protect yourself from ticks Wearing long clothing and applying Health Canada-approved insect repellent like DEET or icaridin can help repel or kill ticks, Kulkarni says. Also, wearing closed-toed shoes and tucking pants into your socks can help prevent ticks from burrowing into your skin. 'Being cautious when you come back home, doing a tick check—looking for any ticks that might be crawling on you or attached—and making sure to really remove those ticks promptly if they have been found,' Kulkarni said. Kulkarni recommends consulting with a pharmacist to see if you're eligible for tick bite prophylaxis, which can help prevent infection if a tick did attach itself to your skin or had the opportunity to transmit any bacterium. How to remove a tick If a tick has latched itself onto your skin, the province recommends using fine-tipped tweezers to take hold of the bug—as close to your skin as possible—and pull it straight out with a gentle, but firm, grip. It is crucial to not crush the tick, the province says, as it could cause Lyme bacteria to trickle into your bloodstream. The province also advises against using a lit match or cigarette, petroleum jelly, nail polish or nail polish remover, kerosene, or liquid soap to remove the tick. 'People have to be weary that when removing these ticks they have to be sure to also get the head,' Grafe told CTV News Toronto. Grafe notes this is due to the fact that ticks tend to bury their head underneath the skin. Once the tick has been removed, the province advises to wash your skin with soap and water before disinfecting with rubbing alcohol or an iodine swab. Then place the tick in an airtight container, like an empty pill bottle, and identify what kind of bug it is before consulting with a health professional on next steps. How to spot Lyme disease 'It's also really important to monitor for any symptoms like fever-like symptoms or rash—an expanding bullseye rash at the tick bite site. These are all signs that it could be a Lyme disease infection,' Kulkarni said. 'So it's really important to get assessed quickly by a healthcare provider.' Other symptoms of Lyme disease include the chills, fatigue, headache, joint pains, muscle aches, spasms or tingling, and facial paralysis. 'It's usually the infants or teenager, immature ticks that will carry the Lyme disease, and they typically have to feed for about 24 hours,' Grafe said. 'So, if people catch this right away, they should be relatively safe.' The number of cases of Lyme disease seen in Ontario have been on a steady rise since 2014, Kulkarni said, pointing to Public Health Ontario's data. Over a decade ago, Ontario logged 257 cases of Lyme disease in the province. This number roughly septupled by 2023, where PHO reported 1,865 cases, including 84 who were hospitalized. 'The risk of acquiring Lyme disease in Toronto overall is believed to be low,' Toronto Public Health said in a statement. Last year in Toronto, 57 blacklegged ticks tested positive for six tick-borne pathogens with nearly half of them carrying Borrelia burgdorferi, one of the causative agents of Lyme disease.
