Dear Ausma Malik
Thank you for contacting me and sharing your lack of concern for Coyotes in the City.
The city does not understand that rodenticide bait boxes on wildlife habitat resulted in coyotes being poisoned sublethally, making the coyotes prone to mange and causing rodents to be attracted into our downtown neighbourhoods.
Your office has continually advocated for hunter trappers to handle coyote-related concerns, including shooting two coyotes, and despite the Toronto Wildlife Centre developing a humane alternative to treat the coyotes for mange so they would be less crabby.
During consultation with City Staff and a coyote hater group after serious pet encounters were recorded, the hunter and the coyote haters decided two coyotes were responsible for the majority of incidents and hired Johnny the Critter Gitter to shoot them in the middle of the city.
This step was not taken lightly, since it took a lot of effort to determine the best way to interpret firearm bylaws in a way to justify to the media the shooting of a mated pair of coyotes in the middle of the city. It followed all the demands of the coyote haters, including listening to the whining and complaining of coyote haters to force the coyotes out of the community by shooting them, with a reinterpretation of safety and humane considerations to follow what the hunter and coyote haters wanted. There are provincial restrictions usually limiting the relocation of coyotes to within 1km of their existing location, but those are guidelines. Moose, bears, and coyotes have been relocated with special permits. But the city chose to cull, which would not address these concerns about humane treatment of animals.
I will continue to engage with City staff to ask that shooting and trapping be outright banned. Rodenticide should also be banned. Cities that ban lethal methods do not have issues with wildlife.
Best,
Nicole Corrado
On Monday, September 15, 2025 at 02:47:14 p.m. EDT, Councillor Malik <councillor_malik@toronto.ca> wrote:
Dear Nicole
Thank you for contacting Councillor Malik's office and sharing your concern for Coyotes in the City.
Councillor Malik understands that construction on wildlife habitat resulted in the displacement of coyotes into our downtown neighbourhoods.
Our office has continually advocated for a better process to handling coyote-related concerns, including increased public education efforts to share aversion methods and encourage co-existence, signage, and improvements to the public realm including lighting and fencing to reduce interactions. During consultation with City Staff after serious pet attacks were recorded, wildlife experts determined two specific coyotes were responsible for the majority of incidents and removed them.
This step was not taken lightly. It followed all escalation protocols, including aversion attempts to force the coyotes out of the community, balancing safety and humane considerations. All options were assessed including relocation. There are provincial restrictions limiting the relocation of coyotes to within 1km of their existing location, which would not address these concerns.
We continue to engage with City staff around our office’s Downtown Coyote Action Plan and the broader Downtown Coyote Response plan coming this fall.
We will share your feedback internally with senior City staff to better shape the Downtown Coyote Action Plan and management of this complex issue.
Thank you again for being in touch.
Best,
Office of Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik
City Councillor for Ward 10, Spadina–Fort York
ausmamalik.ca - 416.392.4044 - councillor_malik@toronto.ca / aimen.waqar@toronto.ca
Click here to sign up to Ausma’s mailing list!
Name pronunciation guide: namedrop.io/ausmamalik
Communicating with the councillor or councillor’s staff at the City of Toronto on certain subject matters (e.g. all communication covering sales information, pricing and business development) may require you to register as a lobbyist. To help determine if you are required to register, you may refer to the interactive tool on the Office of the Lobbyist Registrar website. You may also contact the Office of the Lobbyist Registrar by phone at 416-338-5858 or by email at lobbyistregistrar@toronto.ca.
-----Original Message-----
From: Nicole Corrado <ntcorrado@rogers.com>
Sent: September 12, 2025 6:56 PM
To: 311 <311@toronto.ca>; Carl Bandow <Carl.Bandow@toronto.ca>; Carleton Grant <Carleton.Grant@toronto.ca>; Clerk <clerk@toronto.ca>; Councillor Malik <Councillor_Malik@toronto.ca>; Esther Attard <Esther.Attard@toronto.ca>; Board of Directors of the Toronto Atmospheric Fund <tafboard@toronto.ca>; Animal Services <animalservices@toronto.ca>; Councillor Bradford <Councillor_Bradford@toronto.ca>; Councillor Cheng <Councillor_Cheng@toronto.ca>; Councillor Colle8 <Councillor_Colle8@toronto.ca>; Councillor Morley <Councillor_Morley@toronto.ca>; Jerry.A.Higgins@toronto.ca; Mayor Chow <Mayor_Chow@toronto.ca>
Subject: [External Sender] Re: Wily coyotes, wary dogs
Coyotes have lived in High Park, and all of Toronto, including Liberty Village, for years. They pose no threat to humans as long as people do not feed them. Even then, the threat to human safety is minimal. Coyotes are not interested in humans, and are only close to humans because we move into their space. I grew up in Scarborough near Rouge Park, and saw coyotes. They posed absolutely no threat. I think they are beautiful.
The situation with Amber, a 17 year old small dog, was tragic. No one should lose a furry family member. But the same goes for the coyotes. Imagine how devastating it was for the coyotes to watch their family members be shot by Johnny the Critter Gitter, a hunter hired by the City of Toronto after a small handful of citizens begged the city to hire an exterminator. The reason the coyotes were so prolific is because exterminators had put out bait boxes to poison rats, thus attracting coyotes and weakening them, making them prone to mange. I ask that the Globe and Mail counteract this article with facts from Coyote Watch Canada.
Nicole Corrado
We will share your feedback internally with senior City staff to better shape the Downtown Coyote Action Plan and management of this complex issue.
Thank you again for being in touch.
Best,
Office of Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik
City Councillor for Ward 10, Spadina–Fort York
ausmamalik.ca - 416.392.4044 - councillor_malik@toronto.ca / aimen.waqar@toronto.ca
Click here to sign up to Ausma’s mailing list!
Name pronunciation guide: namedrop.io/ausmamalik
Communicating with the councillor or councillor’s staff at the City of Toronto on certain subject matters (e.g. all communication covering sales information, pricing and business development) may require you to register as a lobbyist. To help determine if you are required to register, you may refer to the interactive tool on the Office of the Lobbyist Registrar website. You may also contact the Office of the Lobbyist Registrar by phone at 416-338-5858 or by email at lobbyistregistrar@toronto.ca.
-----Original Message-----
From: Nicole Corrado <ntcorrado@rogers.com>
Sent: September 12, 2025 6:56 PM
To: 311 <311@toronto.ca>; Carl Bandow <Carl.Bandow@toronto.ca>; Carleton Grant <Carleton.Grant@toronto.ca>; Clerk <clerk@toronto.ca>; Councillor Malik <Councillor_Malik@toronto.ca>; Esther Attard <Esther.Attard@toronto.ca>; Board of Directors of the Toronto Atmospheric Fund <tafboard@toronto.ca>; Animal Services <animalservices@toronto.ca>; Councillor Bradford <Councillor_Bradford@toronto.ca>; Councillor Cheng <Councillor_Cheng@toronto.ca>; Councillor Colle8 <Councillor_Colle8@toronto.ca>; Councillor Morley <Councillor_Morley@toronto.ca>; Jerry.A.Higgins@toronto.ca; Mayor Chow <Mayor_Chow@toronto.ca>
Subject: [External Sender] Re: Wily coyotes, wary dogs
Coyotes have lived in High Park, and all of Toronto, including Liberty Village, for years. They pose no threat to humans as long as people do not feed them. Even then, the threat to human safety is minimal. Coyotes are not interested in humans, and are only close to humans because we move into their space. I grew up in Scarborough near Rouge Park, and saw coyotes. They posed absolutely no threat. I think they are beautiful.
The situation with Amber, a 17 year old small dog, was tragic. No one should lose a furry family member. But the same goes for the coyotes. Imagine how devastating it was for the coyotes to watch their family members be shot by Johnny the Critter Gitter, a hunter hired by the City of Toronto after a small handful of citizens begged the city to hire an exterminator. The reason the coyotes were so prolific is because exterminators had put out bait boxes to poison rats, thus attracting coyotes and weakening them, making them prone to mange. I ask that the Globe and Mail counteract this article with facts from Coyote Watch Canada.
Nicole Corrado
On Monday, September 15, 2025 at 02:47:14 p.m. EDT, Councillor Malik <councillor_malik@toronto.ca> wrote:
Dear Nicole
Thank you for contacting Councillor Malik's office and sharing your concern for Coyotes in the City.
Councillor Malik understands that construction on wildlife habitat resulted in the displacement of coyotes into our downtown neighbourhoods.
Our office has continually advocated for a better process to handling coyote-related concerns, including increased public education efforts to share aversion methods and encourage co-existence, signage, and improvements to the public realm including lighting and fencing to reduce interactions. During consultation with City Staff after serious pet attacks were recorded, wildlife experts determined two specific coyotes were responsible for the majority of incidents and removed them.
This step was not taken lightly. It followed all escalation protocols, including aversion attempts to force the coyotes out of the community, balancing safety and humane considerations. All options were assessed including relocation. There are provincial restrictions limiting the relocation of coyotes to within 1km of their existing location, which would not address these concerns.
We continue to engage with City staff around our office’s Downtown Coyote Action Plan and the broader Downtown Coyote Response plan coming this fall.
We will share your feedback internally with senior City staff to better shape the Downtown Coyote Action Plan and management of this complex issue.
Thank you again for being in touch.
Best,
Office of Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik
City Councillor for Ward 10, Spadina–Fort York
ausmamalik.ca - 416.392.4044 - councillor_malik@toronto.ca / aimen.waqar@toronto.ca
Click here to sign up to Ausma’s mailing list!
Name pronunciation guide: namedrop.io/ausmamalik
Communicating with the councillor or councillor’s staff at the City of Toronto on certain subject matters (e.g. all communication covering sales information, pricing and business development) may require you to register as a lobbyist. To help determine if you are required to register, you may refer to the interactive tool on the Office of the Lobbyist Registrar website. You may also contact the Office of the Lobbyist Registrar by phone at 416-338-5858 or by email at lobbyistregistrar@toronto.ca.
-----Original Message-----
From: Nicole Corrado <ntcorrado@rogers.com>
Sent: September 12, 2025 6:56 PM
To: 311 <311@toronto.ca>; Carl Bandow <Carl.Bandow@toronto.ca>; Carleton Grant <Carleton.Grant@toronto.ca>; Clerk <clerk@toronto.ca>; Councillor Malik <Councillor_Malik@toronto.ca>; Esther Attard <Esther.Attard@toronto.ca>; Board of Directors of the Toronto Atmospheric Fund <tafboard@toronto.ca>; Animal Services <animalservices@toronto.ca>; Councillor Bradford <Councillor_Bradford@toronto.ca>; Councillor Cheng <Councillor_Cheng@toronto.ca>; Councillor Colle8 <Councillor_Colle8@toronto.ca>; Councillor Morley <Councillor_Morley@toronto.ca>; Jerry.A.Higgins@toronto.ca; Mayor Chow <Mayor_Chow@toronto.ca>
Subject: [External Sender] Re: Wily coyotes, wary dogs
Coyotes have lived in High Park, and all of Toronto, including Liberty Village, for years. They pose no threat to humans as long as people do not feed them. Even then, the threat to human safety is minimal. Coyotes are not interested in humans, and are only close to humans because we move into their space. I grew up in Scarborough near Rouge Park, and saw coyotes. They posed absolutely no threat. I think they are beautiful.
The situation with Amber, a 17 year old small dog, was tragic. No one should lose a furry family member. But the same goes for the coyotes. Imagine how devastating it was for the coyotes to watch their family members be shot by Johnny the Critter Gitter, a hunter hired by the City of Toronto after a small handful of citizens begged the city to hire an exterminator. The reason the coyotes were so prolific is because exterminators had put out bait boxes to poison rats, thus attracting coyotes and weakening them, making them prone to mange. I ask that the Globe and Mail counteract this article with facts from Coyote Watch Canada.
Nicole Corrado