Public health asked to find solutions to rat problems
Niagara’s public health department is being asked to act as the region’s Pied Piper to solve its rat problem.
Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati told regional public health committee members Tuesday that he has heard complaints about “rat infestations in the region, and a similar problem in Niagara Falls.”
He said rats are showing up “in nice areas” of the city, “at barbecues while people are eating, and where children are playing.”
Diodati said rats have been seen in school yards and daycare centres, and it’s hard to determine from where the rats are coming.
He said public health has become involved in the past when the municipality has dealt with rat problems, but recently the department has taken a “hands-off approach — leaving it to the municipalities.”
“It is a health concern,” Diodati said. “It’s a complicated thing to deal with … It’s an area where we need the health department engaged.”
Diodati asked the public health department to work with Niagara Falls staff in “a team effort to approach this and find strategies” to address the problem.
Associate medical officer of health Dr. M. Mustafa Hirji asked Diodati if a memo outlining a strategy to deal with the vermin would be adequate, or “if there needs to be a higher level conversation between our department and your city staff?”
Diodati then made a motion calling for a meeting between health department senior staff and Niagara Falls senior administration “to come up with a better approach to dealing with it.”
His request was echoed by other regional councillors, complaining about rat problems in the communities they represent, as well.
“I think that it’s regionwide,” Diodati said, amending his motion to include staff from municipalities throughout the region. “We’re having this issue all over.”
Niagara Falls Coun. Selina Volpatti said Niagara’s waste management department should be part of that discussion, too, adding the collection of organic waste could be adding to the problem.
“I think we need to include a discussion about the collection of organics in that report,” Volpatti said.
Diodati’s motion was approved unanimously.
The rat-infestation issue was also discussed during Niagara Falls city council’s Aug. 22 meeting, when councillors passed a motion brought forward by Coun. Wayne Thomson asking the public health department to take an “active and engaged” role in dealing with not just inside, but also outside rat infestation problems, and to co-operate with local bylaw enforcement officials.
Thomson said the city has received a number of complaints about rodents, and asked for a staff report to come back on how the municipality can deal with the rat problem.
He suggested staff come back with a budget figure so that an exterminator can be brought in to “get this under control.”
Thomson said he was “surprised and disappointed” to hear public health would not deal with a complaint about somebody who has rats in their backyard, but would if the problem was inside their house.
“That was never the case before,” he said.
“I think we have to get the co-operation of the health department in this issue — get the health department to be a little more helpful.” ABenner@postmedia.com Twitter: @abenner1