We know that the safety of our neighbours and pets is critical. My team and I have been working with urgency to address the rise of coyotes in our communities as they have been displaced by development without proper consideration from their natural habitats like Ontario Place.
It is very rare for coyotes to pose a risk to humans, but they may to small animals. Residents should always contact 311 to file reports to Animal Services, and can find more information and resources here, including a public education module sharing best practices to stay aware and safe.
I have heard and take seriously the issues that residents have shared with me and my team over the past weeks, including:
- Increased intensity, number, and frequency of coyote incidents
- Increased fear and folks feeling like they have to make different choices around how they navigate the neighbourhood (eg. not going for walks at certain times of day)
- Clear desire for more presence and accountability of officers doing patrols, and need for them to focus on their key duties related to public safety (rather than ticketing)
- Desire for humane responses to handling coyotes and interest in understanding what relocation may look like in this context.
My office is taking immediate action, working with City staff and local residents:
- Confirming an immediate ceasing of all ticketing for dogs off leash in affected neighbourhoods, so staff onsite can focus on neighbourhood safety.
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Confirming additional patrol staffing from Animal Services and Bylaw will be added to increase capacity
- Up to 12 officers patrolling daily and hours will focus at dawn and dusk when most reports of incidents/sightings are received
- This will mean increased coverage of coyote incident hotspots including Stanley Park, Liberty Village Park, Garrison Common, and other key areas nearby.
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Dedicated channels for residents to report coyote incidents and raise related concerns with a timely response are:
- Online at: toronto.ca/coyotereport
- By phone via 311.
- Coyote claims and information are now prioritized on the 311 Toronto website and on the City’s webpage.
- Held a town hall event on Feburary 13.
- Weekly touchpoints with neighbourhood stakeholders in the most impacted areas to understand how these measures are landing in the community and ways to iterate and improve.
The City’s next immediate step in exploring all options for resolution in this unprecedented number of coyote incidents is convening a third-party Downtown Coyote Response Expert Panel, with experience in urban wildlife. The panel will review the work and investigations the City has conducted, engage with community stakeholders, visit hot spots, and deliver a public report with their recommendations on resolution in mid-March.
I also advanced a Downtown Coyote Action Plan at the recent Economic and Community Development Committee today, informed by community feedback. This plan will assess best practices in other comparable urban jurisdictions, explore uses of technology and other tools for diversion, approach to broad public education, and determine a process to assess all options for coyote management. City staff will report back in May. It's a longer term piece of work to make sure we are learning from this new reality currently taking place in our downtown. The Expert Panel’s findings will also inform this report.
The following are suggestions of items and strategies recommended by City of Toronto Animal Services that may be of assistance to protect from and avert coyote encounters:
- Protective vests: CoyoteVest Pet Body Armor
- Noise makers:
- Whistles; upcycle an aluminum can filled with coins or rocks to startle a coyote when shaken; personal safety alarm
- Umbrella – opening/closing an umbrella pointed in the direction of the coyote while walking towards the coyote can assist with deterring a coyote
- Green garbage bags– fill with air and snapped down will make you look bigger and the noise will scare the coyote
