Environmental assessment - Caldwell-Carver Conservation Area - April 24 to 25 and 29 to 30
Rawlson King, Councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe (Ward 13), was pleased to second and support Rideau-Vanier Councillor Mathieu Fleury's motion at Council to address surface rats in city parks, infrastructure projects, backyards and city streets.
The motion ensures that the City pre-baits parks and any city-run infrastructure projects, create a framework that allows By-law Enforcement Services to inspect abandoned or vacant buildings properties and bait accordingly and determine methods to legally to require property owners to pre-baiting prior to demolition.
The text of Councillor Fleury's motion, which was received unanimous support, is below.
That Council approve:
- that staff be directed to implement rat control methods, including specific rat prevention practices in regular parks maintenance and specific rat prevention practices, such as pre-baiting, in any new infrastructure projects; and
- that staff be directed to incorporate inspections for rats into the twice annual inspections of abandoned buildings and issue orders to the owners to remedy, at a neutral cost, any infestations if evidence is found; and,
- that staff in Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development be directed to assess the options, including Legal Services, under their mandate to implement a program for proactive rat baiting prior to construction and issuing demolition permits and development applications and if such a program is possible, report back to the appropriate committee with recommendations including how such a program could be administered, detail any financial impacts and what monitoring could be put in place to assess its effectiveness; and
- that the Mayor on behalf of Council write the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing requesting that the Province expand the definition of “applicable law” under the Building Code to include by-laws made by a municipality for proactive rat baiting in relation to a demolition requiring a permit under the Building Code Act, 1992.
To learn how to inspect, prevent and respond to rats from Ottawa Public Health here: https://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/public-health-topics/rat-control.aspx
