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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCUL 160 - Pest Management Policy Policy Procedure Title: Pest Management Policy Policy Number CUL 160 Reference #238/23 Ontario Regulation 63/09 Canadian Environmental Protection Act Date Originated (m/d/y) December 4, 2023 Date Revised (m/d/y) Pages 7 Approval: Chief Administrative Officer Point of Contact Director, Community Services Policy Objective The purpose of this Policy is to establish a humane pest management program within City of Pickering properties while banning non-essential use of rodenticides. Index 01 Policy Statement 02 Definitions 03 Roles and Responsibilities 04 Procedures 05 Application 01 Policy Statement The most common rodenticide products currently in use include anticoagulant ingredients. After feeding on these products, rodents first become lethargic and display abnormal behaviour, becoming easier targets for predators that can accumulate these toxic ingredients in their bodies to lethal levels. To reduce the impact of the City’s Pest Management Program on wildlife, it is the Policy of the City of Pickering that: • The use of Anticoagulant Rodenticide or other Regulated Substances for rodent pest management is prohibited on all City-owned properties, except where expressly authorized as a last resort option by the Director, Community Services; and • The use of Anticoagulant Rodenticide or other Regulated Substances for rodent pest management is discouraged on private property. Policy Title: Pest Management Policy Page 2 of 7 Policy Number: CUL 160 02 Definitions 02.01 Anticoagulant Rodenticide(s) – means either a first-generation or second- generation rodenticide that disrupts blood clotting metabolic processes, causing severe or fatal internal hemorrhaging in animals, and is mixed with an attractant for use in pest management activities. Products include first-generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (FGAR) and second-generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGAR). FGAR is a generally less acutely-toxic rodenticide, requiring multiple feedings to administer a lethal dose, metabolizing quickly in the body tissue of rodents. SGAR is generally a more acutely-toxic rodenticide that requires only a single feeding to administer a lethal dose and remains in the body tissue of rodents longer. 02.02 Captive Bolt Trap – means any mechanical device that incorporates a force- driven bolt or piston to kill pests and is authorized for use in Canada. 02.03 City-owned Property – means any land, building or structure on such land, either owned or controlled by the City of Pickering, on which legal authority to regulate pest management exists. 02.04 Electronic Kill Trap – means any mechanical device that employs electrical current to trap and kill pests authorized for use in Canada. 02.05 Glue Board(s) – means trays coated with adhesive, used to eliminate rodents, insects and snakes as an alternative to snap traps or other population control forms. 02.06 Live Capture Trap – means a mechanical device authorized for use in Canada, designed so that the capture does not injure the pest. 02.07 Non-target Wildlife – means any mammal, insect, bird, amphibian, reptile, or other living organisms that are not the target of pest management or pest management activities. 02.08 Non-toxic Bait Attractant – means a substance not listed in the List of Toxic Substances (Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Schedule 1) to attract pests for population control. 02.09 Pest –refers specifically to rodents targeted by pest management activities. 02.10 Pest Infestation – means the occurrence of pest(s) in or around a building or structure such that the occurrence is or is likely to cause damage to the building or structure and/or to generate a health risk to the occupants or users of the building or structure, as determined by a service provider. 02.11 Pest Management – means the integrated and comprehensive compilation of actions undertaken to reduce or eliminate a pest infestation. Policy Title: Pest Management Policy Page 3 of 7 Policy Number: CUL 160 02.12 Population Control – means pest management activities specifically designed to reduce or eliminate and control the pest(s) population inside or near a City- owned property. 02.13 Property Manager – means a person or company employed by either the City or a leaseholder to perform property management and maintenance activities on City-owned property, or a person who otherwise represents the City regarding a City-owned property or the leaseholder on City-owned property. 02.14 Regulated Substance – means any substance identified as regulated or prohibited in the Ontario Regulation 63/09, known as the Pesticides Act. 02.15 Service Provider – means a company or corporate entity or person approved to conduct business on City-owned property to administrate a pest management program. 02.16 Snap Trap – means any mechanical device that incorporates a spring-loaded mechanism to trap and/or kill pests. 03 Roles and Responsibilities 03.01 Council to: a. Approve and uphold the Pest Management Policy and any amendments; b. Approve annual budget including costs of pest management; and c. Act as an advocate for humane pest management and discouraged use of rodenticides within Pickering. 03.02 Chief Administrative Officer to: a. Uphold the Pest Management Policy; b. Recommend revisions to the Pest Management Policy to Council, or amendments to existing policies and procedures when required; and 03.03 Director, Community Services to: a. Monitor and oversee administration of this policy; b. Authorize the use of Anticoagulant Rodenticides or other Regulated Substances on City Properties as a last resort option; c. Annually review this Policy, and associated procedures and standard operating procedures and prepare amendments when the need is recognized; and d. Determine requirements for Policy and procedure orientation. 03.04 Manager, Facilities Maintenance to: Policy Title: Pest Management Policy Page 4 of 7 Policy Number: CUL 160 a. Oversee and implement the Pest Management Program, including compliance with this Policy and associated procedures and standard operating procedures. 03.05 Corporate Communications to: a. Educate the public on the harmful side effects of anticoagulant rodenticide use and encourage Pickering residents to follow the Policy Statement outlined in section 01 and alternative pest management options. 04 Procedures 04.01 Assessment a. An assessment is conducted to confirm whether pest(s) are present and whether they are causing or can cause damage to the building or pose a risk to its occupants/users. This assessment may demonstrate that very limited or no pest management activity is required and that population control is unnecessary. If no pest management activity is needed, the assessment results should be recorded and provided to the Manager, Facilities Maintenance, and no further action is required. b. Prior to any pest management activities, the Service Provider will provide an assessment of the City property. c. The Service Provider must inspect areas potentially subject to pest management. The inspection may include visual inspection, motion-activated cameras, or other methods to collect evidence of a pest infestation. d. The Service Provider must record all details and prepare an assessment report on the likely presence of pest(s) inside or within a reasonable distance of the building/structure. The report must identify pest(s) to species level, discuss the evidence gathered, adaptive behavioural traits of the pest(s) influencing this specific occurrence, and any other relevant information. Details on pest ingress into the building/structure (including locations, pictures, and descriptions) should also be included. e. If pest(s) are confirmed, the next step is to determine whether a pest infestation exists. Using the assessment data, the Service Provider will determine the approximate numbers and species of pest(s) present, pest-specific or potential damage to the building/structure, and human health risks or other risk-related information. 04.02 Mitigation Planning and Implementation Based on the assessment, the Service Provider formulates a mitigation plan in keeping with the level of risk present. Mitigation planning and implementation have three components: (1) Access Prevention; (2) Attractant Management; and (3) Population Control. 04.03 Access Prevention: to reduce entry points into buildings and structures. Policy Title: Pest Management Policy Page 5 of 7 Policy Number: CUL 160 a. The Service Provider should recommend modifications, where practical, to each pest entry point into the building/structure. This should be done for each pest targeted for pest management activity in the risk assessment. b. The Manager, Facilities Maintenance must be consulted before changes to the building/structure are made. In particular, building envelope perforations (nails, screws, etc.) must be pre-approved. c. The Service Provider should also recommend modifications to remove safe harbourage inside or in proximity to the building/structure, including selective vegetation management adjacent to buildings. d. The Service Provider and Manager, Facilities Maintenance must ensure that any building/structure modifications do not interfere with the harbourage, nest or roost sites for important and protected non-targeted wildlife, including protected bat roosts and bird nests. 04.04 Attractant Management: to deny food and water to pests in an area where they are unwanted. a. In consultation with the Manager, Facilities Maintenance, the Service Provider should prepare an education program to inform leaseholders and occupants on attractant management and specifically recommend changes or modifications to avoid attracting pests and providing harbourage. b. The Service Provider should identify specific situations that require disinfection cleaning to remove accumulated deposits of attractant materials or health risks (e.g., steam cleaning, etc.). 04.05 Population Control: to reduce pest numbers or control a pest infestation. a. Population control must be overseen by the Service Provider involved in the previous steps or another Service Provider who has reviewed the last pest management activity. Population control is the final step in mitigation planning and implementation. b. Trapping as population control can be done using either a Live Capture Trap or other device designed to lethally and humanely kill a pest, with minimal impact on non-target wildlife. A trapping program must be designed and supervised by the Service Provider and be appropriate for specific pest and site conditions. The trapping program should meet the following requirements: • Snap Traps, Captive Bolt Traps and/or Electronic Kill Traps, or Live Capture Traps can be deployed by the Manager, Facilities Maintenance, or property manager under the oversight of a Service Provider. • Glue Boards or sticky boards are prohibited, as these have been linked to animal welfare concerns and are not approved for use. Policy Title: Pest Management Policy Page 6 of 7 Policy Number: CUL 160 • Rodent bait traps using Regulated Substances, including first or second- generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (FGARs and SGARs), are prohibited. • The Service Provider is responsible for ensuring that risk to non-targeted wildlife by any proposed trapping is reduced or eliminated when placing or using traps. Traps should only be accessible to pest(s) that are targeted by pest management activity. • Trap locations must be recorded on a site plan and include an accompanying monitoring plan appropriate to trap type. • Traps must be marked with the name and telephone number of the Service Provider and not set in open or publicly accessible areas where the public, non-target wildlife, or pets can easily access them. • Traps can contain a non-toxic bait attractant. • The Service Provider must provide a dispatch report for each monitoring visit where trapped pests or non-target wildlife are captured. The report will document the release or disposal of trapped animals. 04.06 Monitoring and Adaptive Management At sites where Attractant Management or Population Control measures are implemented for pest management, the Service Provider must continue to monitor the site to ensure long-term success. A monitoring plan should be prepared for these sites with details on the type of monitoring activity scheduled and the frequency of application for any pest management activity. Access prevention also needs to be monitored and maintained to ensure that pests do not regain access to the building/structure. Monitoring should be documented and provided to the Manager, Facilities Maintenance. 04.07 Reporting and Compliance No further reporting is required if a completed assessment (Step 1) did not identify a pest infestation or recommend any form of mitigation or population control. After completion of the first cycle of pest management activity (Step 2) followed by a phase of monitoring and adaptive management (Step 3), the Service Provider must document all work. All assessment and monitoring reports must be kept in a format that can be digitally transferred to the City upon request and retained by the Manager, Facilities Maintenance. 05 Application 05.01 Pest management services on City-owned property must be supervised by approved pest management Service Providers in accordance with this Corporate Policy. Policy Title: Pest Management Policy Page 7 of 7 Policy Number: CUL 160 05.02 Pest management Service Providers must follow the Policy Statement outlined in Section 01 which is based on the precautionary principle of avoiding the use of toxic chemicals and reducing and/or eliminating the impacts of toxic substances on target and non-target wildlife. 05.03 Private property owners, residents, and businesses shall be educated on the harmful side effects of Anticoagulant Rodenticide use and encourage to follow the Policy Statement outlined in Section 01 and alternative pest management options. 05.04 Monitoring and administration of this Policy is delegated to the Director, Community Services. Please refer to all associated Procedures and Standard Operating Procedures, if applicable, for detailed processes regarding this Policy.