HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA / RankWire.AI / – Pest-control costs at Halifax-area hospitals have soared over the past five years as mice and other rodents spread through aging buildings. Documents obtained by CBC News show the QEII Health Sciences Centre’s pest-control budget jumped from $35,942 to $323,075, an increase of nearly 800%. Nova Scotia Health says the problem at the QEII complex goes beyond what is expected in a port city. Officials say it could take several years to bring under control.
The QEII includes the Halifax Infirmary, Victoria General and Rehabilitation sites. Dartmouth General Hospital recorded the largest percentage increase in the province over the same period. Its pest-control spending rose from $9,545 to $120,012 last year, an increase of 1,157%. The health authority said it has caught 1,435 mice or other rodents in the QEII buildings in the last five years. Another 321 rodents were caught at the Dartmouth hospital.
Jordan Bonaparte said he was shocked to see mice scurrying through the halls when he took a family member to the Halifax Infirmary’s emergency department on November 7. He said a paramedic told him there were as many mice as patients, if not more. After nearly six hours in the hallway, his relative was moved to a room. Bonaparte said a mouse appeared within minutes and began climbing the patient’s bed. Pressure on emergency departments has been growing across Canada this year.
Construction stirs up rodent activity
Chris Smith, senior director for facilities operations at Nova Scotia Health, said sightings have increased exponentially over the last couple of years. Both hospitals are surrounded by extensive construction projects. Smith said he expected the QEII expansion project to disturb pests when ground was broken. He said the authority anticipated an increase, but not one as large as it is now seeing. The QEII buildings cover 2.9 million square feet.
Smith described the sites as aging buildings in a complex environment. He said hundreds, if not thousands, of people enter and leave every day for appointments, materials, supplies and equipment. He said living in a port city does not change the authority’s view that rodents do not belong in health-care settings. Staff must do whatever they can to keep the pests out and keep hospitals clean, sanitary and safe, he said.
Hospital tackles cracks and crevices
Smith said his department is using a three-pronged approach. Professional exterminators now visit every day, and staff are asked to report sightings so traps can be targeted. Crews have also started external inspections of the buildings to look for small holes. That effort produced 100 to 200 work orders to close cracks and crevices. Smith said it is not an overnight fix. Rodents have caused disruption elsewhere too, including a live mouse found in an airline meal.
The IWK Health Centre, next door to the QEII, said mice are not its main issue. The women’s and children’s hospital spent $180,000 last year after finding unusual bird activity, largely involving pigeons. In a statement, it said the work included cleaning droppings and nesting areas and installing netting and spikes. The IWK expects to keep monitoring the issue. Bonaparte, who posted a video of his visit on his podcast pages, The Canadian Gothic, said patients should expect better.