In this multi-story series, the Advance Times shines a light on an issue of growing concern in 91原创 鈥� its increasingly visible rat population. Please check out this and other related articles in this RATS: Friends or Foe series.

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Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy has announced permanent regulatory changes that will ban the widespread sale and use of second-generation anti-coagulant rodenticides (SGARS) as they pose a risk of poisoning animals that eat poisoned rats and other rodents.

The B.C.-wide ban applies to all members of the public, including most commercial and industrial operations.

Only select sectors deemed 鈥渆ssential services,鈥� such as hospitals and food production, will be able to purchase and use SGARs 鈥� provided they meet the requirements or hire a licensed pest-control company to do this work.

First-generation rodenticides 鈥� which are less lethal 鈥� can still be used to control rats and mice. And that leaves the Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) unhappy.

While the group 鈥渁pplauded鈥� the B.C. government鈥檚 move, it demanded a 鈥渢otal ban on use of all rodenticides in B.C,鈥� said Chantelle Archambault of VHS.

鈥淭he VHS noted that the proposed regulations would still allow other types of rodent poisons and would permit the use of SGARs in many exempt locations, including those with frequent wildlife activity, like garbage dumps.鈥�

In 91原创, some residents like Franc Vrstovsek are 鈥渇rustrated鈥� with the growing population of rats and rodents and are looking for other safer alternatives.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what to do about [the poison ban]鈥� I don鈥檛 know if there are any new kind of safe lethal poisons that kill rats and mice and not harm birds if they would happen to eat the carcasses,鈥� said Vrstovsek.

Inderjeet Gill, manager of environmental health services for Fraser Health, recommended that people take preventive actions to reduce the rat population.

鈥淲e recommend keeping surroundings clean. Restaurants and other commercial spaces should have sanitation plans.鈥� While these steps would not kill the rodents, they would stop their population from growing, he said.

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RELATED: Three B.C. communities in top 5 of Canada鈥檚 鈥榬attiest鈥� cities

READ MORE: Eight rats needing homes in Lower Mainland

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