Rats, the greater scourge
The city council of Coquitlam is finally going to put their collective foot down on rats and try to shed the nick name “Compton”. Coming soon, anyone wanting a demolition permit in Coquitlam will have to prove buildings on the site are free of pests, most especially rats. Metro Vancouver rats are becoming a greater scary scourge. To obtain a permit, the city will now require property owners to provide a report from a qualified pest control company certifying that all buildings and structures on the site have been inspected for pest infestation, specifically rats, and that if any were found, measures have been taken to remove them. The city mapped out all the demolition permits in a one-year period and found a correlation between demolition activity and increased sightings of vermin. The conclusion to their test was obvious; rats are sent scurrying for new shelter after a demolition. This of course leaves other homeowners in the neighbourhood to deal with the problem and potential costs of getting rid of the rodents. Common sense says that costs fall back on the developer or contractor to make sure the problem is dealt with from the beginning — and not transferred to others in the community.
