Kanata North mosquito program set for another vote

Kanata North residents may again be asked whether they want to pay a levy on their property taxes to keep mosquitoes in check during the summer months.

Residents have paid about $20 per year on their tax bills for the program for the last four years to have special treatments done to kill larva and reduce the mosquito population. A city report said the area has many wetlands and other areas, where the mosquitos can spawn.

"This is due to the high water table and the flat topography, which create the optimal conditions for mosquitoes to flourish and populations to continuously expand," reads the report. 

Councillors will consider whether to hold another vote to continue the mosquito-control levy at the next finance and economic development committee meeting being held the morning of Oct. 1. 

The city has already started the process of looking for a contractor.

The last time around, of the Kanata North households that voted, 72 per cent were in favour of the levy; however voter turnout was only 18.5 per cent. 

The previous contract cost $1.5 million over four years, and independent research confirmed it reduced the mosquito population by 80 per cent.