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The following letter to Caledon Council was received for publication by JSC from Caledon resident Keirstyn Parfitt. Her letter is in response to a motion being brought forward by Councillor Maskell to the Town’s Planning and Development Committee meeting on Tuesday June 16 2026.
Dear members of Caledon Council,
I am writing today with regards to Councillor Maskell’s motion for Provincial Support, Funding and Coordinated Plans to Combat Tick Borne Diseases that is on the Tuesday, June 16th Planning and Development Committee meeting agenda. While I share the Councillor’s concern for community safety, I would strongly urge careful consideration before endorsing chemical tick control in our public spaces and ask that public education be championed as the primary protective tool.
Tick population growth is being driven by climate change. Warmer winters and longer warm seasons are expanding tick range and seasonal activity across Ontario. This is a long-term shift, meaning that any strategy relying primarily on chemical suppression faces a losing battle against forces that will keep replenishing tick numbers year after year.
Ticks also serve as a food source for species vital to the food chain including turtles, frogs, birds, squirrels, chipmunks and opossums. They also disperse via hosts, primarily deer, small mammals and birds, meaning that even aggressive local treatment will not prevent continuous reintroduction from surrounding areas, seriously undermining the case for widespread chemical application through Caledon parks and trails.
Acaricides are the primary chemical agent used to control ticks and include potent neurotoxins such as organophosphates, pyrethroids, and phenylpyrazoles. Their associated risks are well-documented:
• Environmental persistence — many acaricides linger in soil and water, harming pollinators and aquatic life, with runoff causing bioaccumulation that can enter the human food chain
• Resistance — indiscriminate application has already driven resistance across multiple chemical classes globally, risking harder-to-control tick populations in the future
• Recolonization — continuous host-borne reintroduction means repeated application is required, compounding environmental harm with each cycle
Residents must to be equipped to navigate nature safely. A strong public education campaign should include tick identification specific to Caledon, guidance on protective clothing and repellents, correct tick removal technique, symptom awareness and seasonal reminders through Town of Caledon communications. This provides lasting benefit without ecological cost.
I would request that Council’s actions directing the Town of Caledon and any provincial requests include the following:
1. Prioritize public education in the Town of Caledon’s own messaging and in formal communications to the Province
2. Refrain from widespread acaricide use in public spaces
3. Advocate for dedicated community-level tick awareness funding
4. Frame this within climate adaptation, integrating tick prevention into the Town’s broader environmental planning
I am grateful for Council’s attention to this issue and ask only that the response be proportionate, evidence-based and protective of the natural spaces of the Town of Caledon and all the species that rely on the habitat therein.
Respectfully,
Keirstyn Parfitt, BSc. Env.
Ward 1 Resident
NOTE: Councillor Maskell’s motion can be viewed here
