List of Ontario’s Most ‘Shabby’ Cities Posted: Did Your Hometown Make the Cut? | The Canadian News

Orkin Canada released its annual survey of Ontario’s rarest cities on Monday and it should come as no surprise that Toronto, given its size and population density, continues to top the list.

The GTA makes up a large part of the list of pest control companies such as Mississauga (2), Scarborough (3), North York (5), Etobicoke (6), Richmond Hill (7), Brampton (8) and Oshawa ( 10). all finished within the top 10.

The two outliers in the top 10 are Ottawa, which jumped from No. 12 in 2020 to No. 4 in 2021, and London, which improved from No. 4 last year to No. 9 this year.

Timmins (25), North Bay (21) and Niagara Falls (24) all fell off the list, while Thornhill (16), Ajax (24) and Kitchener (25) made the cut.

The company says its employees have seen bolder behavior from rodents of late, as there have been more sightings during the day.

Orkin Canada says that the lockdowns triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic have seen more people cooking at home and thus have also been producing more food waste at home. The company says the increased food supply is part of the reason people see more rats and mice in residential areas.

They also note that with more people at home these days, rodents are also moving “from urban centers with limited resources to suburban areas rich in food, where rats and mice may have been able to reproduce and increase the population.”

With the arrival of winter, Orkin Canada has provided some tips to help prevent rats and mice from finding refuge in the warm comforts of your abode.

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The company says to make sure bushes stay at least one meter from your home and to keep garbage and food as far away as possible.

He also suggests making sure all cracks and holes in the base are filled and installing weather stripping around the windows and doors.