Montreal's rat problem: Opposition party proposes plan to deal with rodents
Montreal's opposition party wants the city to develop a plan to control the rat population that the party calls "uncontrollable."
Ensemble Montreal's motion calls on public works to have a rat control procedure in place when working in open sewers, while asking for a review of the domestic and commercial waste management system.
In addition, the party wants open public garbage cans progressively replaced and an awareness campaign launched targeting food vendors to enforce sanitary measures.
"Our plan will not only better control the presence of rats in Montreal, but will also address the important cleanliness issues that persist in our city," said opposition environment critic Stephanie Valenzuela. "To quote the Mayor of New York, 'our city deserves better than rats, graffiti and dirt.'"
Montreal banned the use of rodenticides in 2022, but backtracked on the plan in January as the number of rats in the city exploded.
Montreal now allows exterminators to use diphacinone, which until this week was banned alongside glyphosate, a controversial herbicide, Bromethaline, a neurotoxin with no known antidote, and about 30 other fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and rodenticides.
"We... want to make sure that pest management companies have what they need in their toolbox, so we are being flexible. This is why the use of a rodenticide has been allowed again," said a spokesperson for the Plante administration.
"A strategy is currently in place that involves the use of various means, including mechanical means, the installation of closed bins, the application of standards surrounding construction sites and efforts to keep the public domain clean, among others.
Ensemble Montreal says the rodents' populations have exploded during the pandemic.
"With our cleanliness issues, Montreal has become an all-you-can-eat buffet for rats, who take advantage of our many construction sites to escape," said leader Aref Salem. "Gone are the days when they were only found in sewers; rats now frequent our homes, universities, parks, businesses and offices. This is not a cohabitation we desire."
The Ensemble Montreal release says the city is home to between five and six million rats and that requests for exterminations quadrupled in 2022.
"The issue of rats in Montreal is taken very seriously and we are aware that it is a source of concern for many," the city stated. "It is important to note that each borough makes significant efforts to control the rat population according to the specificities of its territory."
The Plante administration claimed that since 2020, there has been a decrease in complaints about the presence of rodents in the downtown area, adding "we are not letting our guard down."
The opposition party wants a prevention plan put in place alongside the recent reverse course on using rodenticides.
The city said it received the opposition's motion with "great openness" and will discuss it the next municipal council.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Liberals to go after predatory lending in today's budget, invest in dental care plan
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is set to table a federal budget in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon, which a federal source says will include plans to go after predatory lending and more details on dental care as part of a pitch to make life more affordable.

Quebec police officer stabbed and killed during arrest, second wounded
A Quebec provincial police officer was fatally stabbed Monday night while performing an arrest in Louiseville, west of Trois-Rivieres, Que. The Surete du Quebec (SQ) has confirmed the identity of the officer, Sgt. Maureen Breau, who had been on the force for over 20 years. She was assigned to the post of the MRC de Maskinonge. Another officer was injured during the incident, but their life is not in danger.
Nashville shooter was ex-student with detailed plan to kill
The former student who shot through the doors of a Christian elementary school in Nashville and killed three children and three adults had drawn a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points, and conducted surveillance of the building before carrying out the massacre.
What we know about the Nashville Christian school shooting
Six people were killed at a small, private Christian school just south of downtown Nashville on Monday after a shooter opened fire inside the building containing about 200 students, police said.
Russian whose daughter drew anti-war picture gets two years' jail but flees
A Russian who was investigated by police after his daughter drew an anti-war picture at school was sentenced on Tuesday to two years in a penal colony on charges of discrediting the armed forces.
Here's why advocates want 'femicide' in Canada's Criminal Code
Advocates against women's violence are urging the government to add femicide to the Criminal Code, saying it would bring further awareness to the term and the tragedies it describes.
Teen girl shot and killed in northeast Calgary
A teenage girl was shot and killed in northeast Calgary community of Martindale on Tuesday.
Security, support services needed to tackle violence on Canadian transit: analyst
Cities across Canada need greater security on transit and improved access to mental health and addiction services in order to help Canadians feel safe, one public safety analyst says.
Canada heading into 'mild recession' as tight monetary policy squeezes growth: report
New research says Canada is heading into a mild recession as elevated borrowing costs, a downturn in the U.S. and persistent inflation dial up the country's economic uncertainty.