One of worst cities in Canada for rats is Mississauga, report shows

Mississauga has again been identified as one of the “rattiest” cities in all of Canada.

For the second consecutive year, the country’s seventh-largest city ranks fifth on Mississauga-based Orkin Canada’s annual list of the top 25 “Rattiest Cities in Canada.”

In fact, the top five cities on this year’s list, released this week, appeared in the same order in last year’s rankings.

Toronto tops the list, followed by three B.C. cities — Vancouver, Burnaby and Kelowna — and then Mississauga, which also ranked second in Ontario for a fifth-straight year.

Richmond, B.C., Victoria, B.C., Ottawa, Scarborough and Moncton, N.B. round out the 2023 top 10.

As far as rodent infestations in Ontario are concerned, Mississauga consistently plays second fiddle in recent years only to Toronto, according to the Orkin rankings.

Top 25 “Rattiest” Canadian cities in 2023 (Source: Orkin Canada)

Rankings are based on the number of commercial and residential rodent (rats and mice) treatments provided by Orkin from Aug. 1, 2022 through July 31, 2023. Orkin is Canada’s largest pest control company.

Whereas the pests used to primarily show themselves only at certain times of the year, that’s changing, according to Orkin.

“Rat and mice calls used to be expected primarily in the fall and winter as they escape the cold outdoors, but now they are becoming a year-round effort,” Dr. Alice Sinia, pest specialist and entomologist with Orkin Canada, said in a news release. “Longer summer seasons coupled with abundant food sources provide ideal conditions for exponential growth in rodent populations, which is why it is more important than ever to use integrated pest management techniques to tackle all of the conditions that allow mice and rats to proliferate.”

The 2023 top 25 “Rattiest Cities in Ontario” list (see image below) ranks Toronto first and Mississauga once again second, followed by Ottawa, Scarborough and Brampton.

Sudbury, Etobicoke, Hamilton, Oshawa and North York round out the top 10 this year.

Orkin Canada says with the colder weather approaching, and rodents looking for shelter, there are a number of things people can do to keep rats and mice from entering their homes and property:  

• seal cracks or holes in your foundation and install weather stripping around windows and doors
• keep shrubbery at least one metre away from exterior walls of your home 
• get rid of moisture sources, such as clogged gutters
• be diligent in keeping garbage and old food away from your house
• inspect both inside and outside your property for rodent droppings. The more quickly rodents are detected, the better, says Orkin

For more information and tips on how to reduce the potential for rodent infestations, visit Orkin Canada online.

Top 25 “Rattiest” Ontario cities in 2023 (Source: Orkin Canada)