St. Catharines has been named one of Ontario’s “rattiest” cities.
Orkin Canada released its annual list of the 25 rattiest and mousiest cities in Canada alongside separate lists for other Canadian regions, including Ontario, based on stats provided by its customer database.
Toronto was named the reigning champion of rats, taking the number one spot not only in Ontario but the entire country.
British Columbia saw the most entries, but Ontario made enough of a name for itself as a cultural hub for rodents to warrant its own distinct list.
“Ontario has a significant presence on this year’s list, with Toronto once again leading the rat race, followed by Mississauga and Scarborough,” a spokesperson said to NiagaraThisWeek. “These findings highlight the increasing rodent activity in urban centres.”
Hamilton is the most local entry on the Canadian list — securing spot 21 — but the Ontario list hits closer to home. Both St. Catharines and Niagara Falls sit near the bottom, in spots 24 and 18 respectively, but they are there nonetheless.
Locals have had their fair share of experiences with these pesky rodents. On Instagram, justin_nichols_ tells The Brock Press that their “disgusting neighbours,” one of whom “slept in their shed on a bed of 250 empty pizza boxes,” welcomed a scourge of rats.
Keianna Brimner, a fourth-year con-ed student at Brock, describes her experience sitting on the outside patio at Trust Beer Bar downtown, when “two massive rats came running across the street like 10 feet from us […] then 10 minutes later three babies skittered across, and I guess people were paying attention that time, because the whole place went into hysterics.”
Three months ago, Nate_Diaz posted a Reddit thread on r/stcatharinesON titled: “Rats taking over neighbourhood.”
“I have never seen anything like this in my life before, but as soon as the sun begins to set there are rats everywhere… running all around the street, on lawns, in my yard. I can only imagine it’s bad like this all up and down the street,” they said, ending the post by lamenting, “Not even my tomatoes are safe.”
This isn’t a new problem either. In 2018, NiagaraThisWeek reported on the Davidson family, who faced thousands of dollars in house reparations and exterminator bills due to unstoppable rats, who chewed through concrete, second-story window screens and a new roof to get into their house.
At the time, the City of St. Catharines released an educational pamphlet and a small rebate to combat the rats, which Lori Davidson called a “laughable” effort.
Evidently, with this new Orkin Canada list, St. Catharines still has work to do if it wants to clear up its rat problem.
As rodent rates increase across Canada, Orkin reminded homeowners how they can mitigate their risk of being infested. They said to eliminate harbourage by removing clutter and trimming vegetation; cut off water sources that create moisture traps both inside and outside; remove food sources that rats could get into; and seal entry points that can let rats inside your home.
The chatter around which city is the rattiest can be all fun and games, but the possibility of rats in your home is no laughing matter. Be cautious and keep an eye out for any ratty behaviour: your wires and your wallet will thank you.