A Colwood resident wants the school district to pay for getting rid of rats on her property she says began showing up during construction last year at Dunsmuir middle school.
The Sooke School District’s pest control contractor, however, cites a number of reasons that have created a perfect storm for a proliferation of rats in the area.
Farview Road resident Sharon Goddard, whose backyard is divided by a fence from the school’s playground, said she has been dealing with rats since December, when her downstairs tenant began hearing noises in the ceiling between her suite and Goddard’s space upstairs.
The homeowner hired a pest control company at the beginning of January to look into the problem.
“They put in two traps and caught two big ones within a week,” said Goddard, a longtime area resident. “Last week they caught two in one day.”
She said the problem began in the summer of 2016, when crews were working on the school renovation project. She said it will cost her $360 a month for pest control and wants the school district to pay for dealing with the problem.
Her next door neighbour, Roger Privé, said he killed a dozen rats last year and four more so far this year.
“It started with the major renovations they’ve been working on for the last year,” he said.
Goddard initially contacted the City of Colwood and said she was told to contact the Sooke School District.
“I call the school every time I see one,” Goddard said, adding she called last week after seeing two on the fence between her yard and the Dunsmuir property.
Trent Pryor, manager of facilities for the district, said they are “very vigilant” in addressing any reports of rat problems.
“As soon as we hear of a complaint at a school, we take care of it immediately,” he said. “If anyone reports a rat at a school, PES (Professional Ecological Services) is there right away.”
Pryor visited Goddard’s property on Jan. 5 with a pest control specialist from the company, which handles rodent issues for the district.
A report completed by PES stated that an inspection of the school grounds “found no debris, food or other conditions favouring rat infestation,” and that there were no reports of rats at the school during the period of construction.
The report went on to say, “the school is surrounded by residential properties containing sheds, bird feeders, compost and debris piles etc., which is ideal rat habitat.”
Pryor said there is no evidence to suggest the school board is at fault or should be responsible for the cost of pest control on an adjoining property.
In a follow-up interview with the Gazette, PES president Alan Vaudry said this has been a “very bad year” for rats. Among the reasons, he added, are that climate change has contributed to an extended growing season here, which makes more food available for rats.
“They take advantage of that and have more babies,” Vaudry explained, adding that there are two conditions that promote the spread of rats. “When it rains, it floods them out and they seek shelter in structures and housing. Freezing weather drives them in as well.”
Vaudry said people need to be vigilant, especially those in established neighbourhoods with an abundance of things that attract rats, such as open composts, bird feeders and other food sources.
“If people see them, they should do something right away before they breed,” he added.
In Goddard’s mind, it’s not safe for students to be in the section of the Dunsmuir school yard nearest her property.
“My granddaughter goes to that school and my kids went there as well,” she said.
reporter@goldstreamgazette.com