Rat problems persist as Toronto and Mississauga rank among worst in Canada: report

Mississauga, you’ve still got a rat problem.

The country’s seventh-largest city (2021 census) has once again cracked the top 10 on Mississauga-based Orkin Canada’s annual list of the 25 “Rattiest Cities in Canada” (see image below).

Mississauga sits sixth, once again, on the latest list, released on Tuesday by Orkin, the country’s largest pest control company. The city also placed sixth in 2024 after fifth-place rankings the previous two years.

In compiling the 2025 list, Orkin said in a news release that while “more regions across Canada” are seeing a growing rodent population, there are a number of steps people and businesses can take to keep rats and mice out of homes and other buildings (see below).

Orkin officials have previously noted their findings “highlight the increasing rodent activity in urban centres.”

Rattiest cities in Canada 2025. (Source: Orkin Canada)

Toronto again ranks No. 1 on the rattiest cities list, followed by four B.C. cities — Victoria, Vancouver, Burnaby and Richmond — to round out the top five. Those cities, with the exception of Richmond which was seventh in 2024, were also in the top five last year.

Following Mississauga (sixth), Kelowna (B.C.), Ottawa, Scarborough (viewed by Orkin as separate from Toronto) and Moncton (N.B.) complete the 2025 top 10 list.

As far as rodent infestations in Ontario are concerned, Mississauga consistently plays second fiddle in recent years only to Toronto, according to the Orkin rankings. The rankings list the top 25 cities facing rat problems (see image below).

The top 10 cities in Ontario for 2025 are:

• Toronto
• Mississauga
• Ottawa
• Scarborough (officially part of Toronto)
• Sudbury
• Markham
• Etobicoke (officially part of Toronto)
• North York (officially part of Toronto)
• Brampton
• Oshawa

The latest rankings are based on the number of commercial and residential rodent (rats and mice) treatments provided by Orkin from Aug. 1, 2024 through July 31, 2025. 

Whereas the pests used to primarily show themselves only at certain times of the year, that’s changing, according to Orkin, which notes it’s now a year-round problem.

“Rat and mice calls used to be expected primarily in the fall and winter as they escape the cold outdoors, but now they are becoming a year-round effort,” Orkin Canada officials said earlier. “Longer summer seasons coupled with abundant food sources provide ideal conditions for exponential growth in rodent populations.”

Rattiest cities in Ontario 2025. (Source: Orkin Canada)

Orkin Canada says a number of steps can be taken to keep rodents from entering people’s homes and frequenting their property:

• Seal cracks or holes in your foundation and install weather stripping around windows and doors.
• Keep shrubbery at least one metre away from exterior walls of your home.
• Get rid of moisture sources, such as clogged gutters, and fix leaky pipes or faucets both indoors and outdoors.
• Be diligent in keeping garbage and old food away from your house.
• Inspect both inside and outside your property for rodent droppings. The more quickly rodents are detected, the better, says Orkin.
• Remove clutter both indoors and outdoors, trim overgrown vegetation and keep grass short.

For more information and tips on how to reduce the potential for rodent infestations, visit Orkin Canada online.