They swarm in alleys, crawl up toilets and dig through foundations. By every measure, rats are on the rise in Toronto—and in large cities around the world. The difference between Toronto and so many of those cities? Other cities take action when homeowners report infestations. So far, Toronto has no official policy or strategy.

Alberta claims to be free of mating rats. Vancouver has "The Rat Project". New York and Chicago have extensive plans in place to corral exploding populations. So what is Toronto doing? What will happen when the study is complete later this year? And if you've got rats, like, right now, what can you do?

GUEST: Amy Dempsey, feature writer, Toronto Star

(We apologize for how often you might squirm while listening to this episode.)