THE CANADIAN PRESS
SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. - A team of pest control officers is heading for Swift Current, Sask., to help tackle a well-publicized rat problem that is so bad some people say they've been bitten in their beds.
Travis Quirk, the provincial pest control co-ordinator, says four officers will meet with Swift Current city officials Wednesday to review the situation and come up with a game plan to get rid of the rats.
"The (city) bylaw inspectors, not a lot of them have a lot of experience with rats, it's not something that they've dealt with before," Quirk said in a phone interview from Saskatoon office.
"Whereas the pest control officers from across the province ... a lot of these guys have been doing it for years and years."
Quirk says the southwestern Saskatchewan city has been able to map out areas of higher infestations, so-called "hot spots," based on reported sightings.
The provincial pest control officers will use their experience to help target those areas to find the source of the infestation and eliminate it, said Quirk.
"We're hoping that probably in a couple weeks we'll have all those areas covered and that we'll be able to have a definite plan of action to reduce the rat population," he said.
Quirk says time is of the essence because the rats will soon be looking for shelter from cold weather.
"They'll be trying to get into people's houses and stuff like that, which really is not a good scenario. So to try and avoid that, we'd like to get this dealt with before the winter," he said.
It's not entirely clear where the rats are coming from, but a nearby landfill is suspected as the source.
The problem has also crept up in Alberta, which has long claimed to be a rat-free province. Two Norway rats were discovered recently in a northeast Calgary neighbourhood and letters were sent to homeowners to let them know of the situation.
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach says he's not concerned about a few rats showing up in Calgary, adding he's confident that the vermin won't be around for long.
The city of Swift Current plans to hold a news conference Wednesday to announce enhancements to its pest control program. City manager Matt Noble told The Canadian Press on Tuesday up to 11 certified Saskatchewan pest control officers have been made available to help there.
Noble says the rat problem can happen in urban areas, but he adds the city is dealing with it and doesn't deserve to get a bum rap.
