Health officials aren’t sure what’s causing our city’s rat problem, but are working on education residents on how to discourage rodents.
Speaking to City Council Monday night, Thunder Bay and District Health Unit spokesperson Lee Sieswerda says you’re encouraged to make sure your compost and bird-feeders aren’t food sources for rats, but they’re likely not the reason behind the sudden spike in rodent sightings.
“There were so few [over the past 25 years] that we didn’t actually track rats seperately from other kinds of rodents,” Sieswerda admits, adding that the number suddenly grew to over 200 starting in September of last year.
Sieswerda indicates a big part of the program will deal with how to rat-proof your trash.
“In the large, mutli-unit dwellings, sightings are often associated with improperly-contained garbage,” Sieswerda points out, “Bags of garbage left out in the open, or in an insecure shed […] sometimes piled up to the roof.”
The $5,000 project between the city and the Health Unit was approved by City Council Monday night.
City staff will report back on the progress of the campaign by next June. (File Photo)