Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the Toronto region has “a coyote problem,” suggesting that howling “like a wolf” has worked to quieten the animals near his Etobicoke home.
Two recent coyote attacks in York Region, including one where a child was bitten in the head, have brought attention back to a matter which dominated last year after a number of incidents in Toronto.
“You’re worried to walk your dog out there, we have a coyote problem,” Ford told reporters at Queen’s Park, before going on to describe his approach to the issue.
“You’re going to think the cheese slipped off the cracker with me but one night, I’m sitting there and they must have made a kill, they’re screeching. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard them, they’re shrieking, so I went out there and howled like a wolf. They stopped instantly … so they figured the big wolf’s around the corner.”
The issue drew major concern in Toronto last spring after a series of attacks in Fort York and Liberty Village.
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In February 2026, the Coyote Safety Coalition — a group representing residents in the two neighbourhoods — claimed six local coyote attacks occurred in a single night, including at least two that required emergency treatment for pet dogs.
The city said at the time that a number of issues led to the coyote problems, including habitat displacement and limited green space. It also cited the feeding of wildlife and uncollected dog excrement, which can attract rats, a food source for coyotes.
The city ultimately decided to euthanize a pair of coyotes it believed were involved in the attacks.
At the time, the local councillor linked the rise of coyotes in the area to the redevelopment of Ontario Place and the removal of trees she said had operated as the animals’ natural habitat before.
Ontario NDP MPP Chris Glover accused the premier’s policies of contributing to the problem.
“Doug Ford destroyed Ontario Place, left it a barren wasteland, and now the coyotes from the park have made their way to the premier’s backyard,” he wrote in a statement.
“If the premier is concerned about keeping people safe from coyotes, he should’ve focused more on not bulldozing their home, instead of howling in his backyard.”
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
