For all intents and purposes, Leslieville retiree Janice La Chapelle’s home was normal. But when transportation agency Metrolinx began construction of the Ontario Line across her street in 2020, they created a transport line to her home as well — for rats.
Rodents began appearing at her Leslieville home in 2020 after they were forced from their nests by construction near Dundas St. E. and Logan Ave., the Toronto Star reported. As a result of their displacement, the rats chose to make La Chapelle’s home theirs by force.
“This rat was the same freaking size as my dog,” La Chapelle said of one of the home invaders.
Fighting an infestation
La Chapelle’s fight against the rats has been ongoing since then. The rodents dug, chewed and ravaged her home as they ate through the concrete floors in her basement and into her walls. When they reached the plumbing, they eventually overflowed her toilet with rat feces, the news outlet reported.
La Chapelle has been fighting back for the last five years, and it has been a costly endeavor. The first exterminator visit cost over $630, with regular followups to rebait traps or remove dead rats costing just under $100 each trip.
By the fall of 2024, she had spent over $1,700 to remove the rats and keep them at bay, all while dealing with a cancer diagnosis.
She still finds rats in her garden, along with rat-sized bite marks on the outside of her home.
Metrolinx sends mixed signals about reimbursement
After spending over $1,700 by fall of 2024, La Chapelle sent her receipts to Metrolinx for reimbursement. This was after she heard the agency concede to residents affected by construction that they should receive support for rodent damages.
Months later, she received only approximately $700 from the government agency, $1,000 less than what she had claimed. The agency has never told her why the discrepancy occurred, the Star reported.
Unfortunately, Metrolinx has been sending mixed signals to numerous residents affected by their work. The Star found that one community group was told they would not be reimbursed for hiring their own exterminators. They needed to ask Metrolinx to bring in their own pest control company. But La Chapelel’s story and others have shown that hasn’t been the case.
Toronto’s festering rat problem
La Chapelle’s rat nightmare isn’t the only one, as recent data is bringing to light. Rats are becoming more of a problem in Toronto.
A sudy published by Science Advances in January found that Toronto’s rat population has been growing at a quickening rate, with New York City’s rat growth tailing behind by a slim margin.
Across Toronto, rodent complaints called in to 311 have gone up over 50% since 2018 the Star noted. Specifically, the Toronto-Danforth ward where Metrolinx is constructing three major stops of the Ontario Line has seen a 94% increase in recent complaints between 2018 and 2024.
Other cities with major rat issues such as New York, Halifax and Chicago have pre-emptive rodent control policies that require rodent controlling measures to be implemented before construction occurs.
Unfortunately, the City of Toronto has no such policy at this time.
How you can fight for fair compensation
If you are a Torontonian and worried about Ontario Line construction bringing rats into your home and facing a potential lack of reimbursement, follow these tips to help you get compensated fairly:
- Document everything: Take notes and pictures of everything from rats in and around your home, including the damage they have caused and when it started. This is key as you’ll need to show that Metrolinx’s actions were directly tied to the rodent damage in your home.
- Clarify before acting: Metrolinx has given mixed signals on how homeowners can receive reimbursement for rodent control. Don’t guess. Contact Metrolinx either online or by phone at (416) 869-3600 and see if the company would rather use their pest control company or reimburse you.
- Lobby your MPP: If you’ve made a claim to Metrolinx and haven’t heard anything, reach out to your MPP to lobby them for support. Metrolinx is a government agency after all.
- Get legal counsel: If you do all you can and Metrolinx is refusing to pay, it might be time to get a lawyer involved, especially if the damages are substantial.
As more of the Ontario Line continues to build over the coming years, rat horror stories such as La Chappelle’s may become more commonplace. Torontonians need to make their voices heard by Metrolinx and the provincial government so real change can take place — one home at a time.
Sources
1. Toronto Star: Ontario Line construction unleashed rats into her home. But Metrolinx has not footed the full bill — and won’t tell her why, by Emma McIntosh and Andy Takagi (Jun 26, 2025)
2. Science Advances: Increasing rat numbers in cities are linked to climate warming, urbanization, and human population, by Jonathan L. Richardson, Elizabeth P. McCoy, Nicholas Parlavecchio, Ryan Szykowny , Eli Beech-Brown, Jan A. Buijs, Jacqueline Buckley, Robert M. Corrigan, Federico Costa, Ray DeLaney, Rachel Denny, Leah Helms, Wade Lee, Maureen H. Murray, Claudia Riegel, Fabio N. Souza, John Ulrich, Adena Why and Yasushi Kiyokawa (Jan 31, 2025)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.