Toronto to put together expert panel amid spike in coyote attacks in Liberty Village, Fort York

The City of Toronto is contemplating an expert panel to determine how to deal with the coyotes causing a spike in attacks in the Liberty Village and Fort York area.

It’s part of the proposed Downtown Coyote Action Plan presented Wednesday at the Economic and Community Development meeting.

The expert panel would assess best practices used in other comparable urban jurisdictions regarding the management of coyotes and processes for resolving issues related to coyote interactions, explore technology or other tools for diversion and outline the benefits and drawbacks of different approaches to managing the issue.

It would also consider existing regulations, and input from wildlife experts and describe how wildlife management is planned for during the construction of City-led projects, such as Ontario Place.

The panel would present a report to city council on May 6.

“We are doubling down our due diligence and reaching out to experts from the University of Calgary, University of Guelph, Toronto, Wildlife Center, Coyote, watch Canada, MNR, TRCA, validating the work we’re doing. Is it accurate? Is it enough? Do we need to do more? If they tell us to do more, we will do more,” said Carleton Grant, the executive director of Municipal Licensing and Standards.

“And the panel has experience, specifically in urban wildlife and with the Ministry of Natural Resources,” added Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik.

Malik said they would be looking at all options to deal with the coyote attacks, including containment and education, relocation, or capture and euthanize.

“It is the last resort option and one the panel will be looking at with seriousness,” said Malik.

Malik, who is also the councillor for Spadina-Fort York, also presented some early actions they can take to help residents prevent coyote attacks while City staff work to create the action plan.

Immediate action the City plans to take includes distributing public education material through appropriate channels targeting downtown residents that informs them what actions are being taken.

She also recommended the city request Ontario conduct environmental assessments when undergoing planning of major projects, such as the redevelopment of Ontario Place, to assess and address impacts on wildlife including coyotes.

In recent weeks, the city has deployed patrol staff around the Liberty Village and Fort York area. Bylaw enforcement officers have also handed out numerous tickets for off-leash dogs.

A group of residents in the area have banded together to form the Coyote Watch Coalition and say they’ve recorded 70 coyote attacks since November, noting that four dogs have been killed.

“People are living in terror, people are afraid to go outside with their dogs, we even had news of a runner getting attacked who did not have a dog, so people are very frightened,” said Ruby Kooner, a spokesperson for the coalition.

Some residents even showed up at City Hall, leaving stuffed animals out to represent the pets that had been killed, demanding action from the City.