A report going to Windsor City Council recommends using existing bylaws to crack down on property owners who fail to address issues around rats and other rodents.
In October 2021, Ward 2 Councillor Fabio Costante asked administration for a report on the possible creation of a city wide bylaw, hoping to give enforcement officers the power to write tickets to force a property owner to address rodent problems on their property.
The city currently runs a free rat abatement program, but if any complaints are filed with the city by a property owner about a neighbouring property, the city can only encourage an owner to let them onto their property to eliminate any rat issues.
Costante says the report recommends using existing bylaws to their fullest extent.
"As opposed to forcing the rat abatement program which uses a poison that we can't use unless we get consent from the property owner, there's more humane ways to take care of the problem," he says. "Our administration can come in and rectify the issue and charge the property owner for whatever the cost may be for that."
The report cites the Feeding of Wildlife By-law, Yard Waste By-law and Property Standards By-law as existing measures that could be maximized to provide relief to property owners affected by rodents, as opposed to creating a brand new bylaw.
Costante says the recommendation would see tougher enforcement, specifically with property owners who refuse to address the problem.
"The property owner doesn't want to go through the rat abatement program, there's options available to administration to correct the problem and go on the property," he says. "Just like we would, for example, if there was a dirty yard and a property owner doesn't want to take care of it. We'd get our crew to go clean it up and then charge the property owner for the full cost of that clean up, we'd do the same thing with rats."
Costante says the hope is that they don't have to bring down the hammer, but rather work together and solve the problem.
"I think most reasonable people are going to look at this and say, 'I would rather engage a free city program that solves this problem then be against the city,' and have to deal with the cost of clean up and potentially prosecution," he says.
Costante adds a greater tracking and gathering of information involving calls about rats and other rodents would also be used to address any problems across the city moving forward.
Windsor City Council meets at 1:30 p.m. Feb 14.