Why The City Of Brampton Is Talking About Licensing Wildlife Removal Companies

Cheap Traps, Costly Consequences: What Brampton Homeowners Need to Know About Wildlife Removal and Baby Season

If you live in Brampton, chances are you’ve heard something rustling in the attic, seen a raccoon on the roof, or caught a whiff of skunk under the deck. When that happens, most homeowners do the same thing: Search “raccoon removal near me” and click the first name that pops up.

But behind many of those ads is a dangerous mix of baby season, cheap trapping, and lead-selling agencies that can leave you with dead animals in your walls, repeat infestations, and a much bigger bill than you expected.

At the same time, Brampton council is debating whether to license wildlife removal companies because the industry has become a bit of a “wild west” — with almost anyone able to buy traps, run ads, and call themselves a wildlife removal pro.

On the other hand, some would say the the companies pushing so hard for Licensing Wildlife Removal Companies mostly don't like the competition and even acknowledge that "ethical standards have improved in recent years"

One might argue that a permit for the transportation of wildlife in a vehicle especially for profit might be the main issue here as no other methods such as one-way doors eviction seem to be an issue raised.

This blog is about what you, as a homeowner, can do to protect your home, your money, and the animals that share the city with us.

Why Brampton is talking about licensing wildlife removal companies

City staff have recommended that wildlife removal companies in Brampton be required to get a municipal licence. The idea is simple:

• Set minimum standards for humane exclusion (not just trapping)

• Require insurance and record-keeping

• Ban clearly inhumane or unlawful methods

• Make companies provide written service plans and close-out reports so you actually know what you’re getting

Right now, there are multiple wildlife removal companies operating in Brampton, and most of them are completely unregulated. That’s how you end up with workers who trap the mother, leave babies behind, and move on to the next job — while animal services and wildlife rescue centres are left to deal with the fallout.

Licensing will help. But it won’t solve everything, because there’s another big problem that starts with a simple Google search.

The problem most homeowners never see: pay-per-lead wildlife “companies”

Here’s a side of the industry that almost no one explains to homeowners:

1. Ad agencies run Google Pay-Per-Click campaigns under different names like “Same Day Wildlife Removal” or “Emergency Raccoon Removal.”

2. These agencies don’t actually do the work. They exist to collect your phone call or form submission as a lead.

3. That lead is then sold to whichever operator is willing to pay for it — often the cheapest or most desperate.

4. The person who shows up at your house may be inexperienced, minimally trained, and only familiar with one method: trapping.

Their business model is volume: get as many leads as possible, sell as many appointments as possible, and move on. That pressure usually means:

• No time-consuming inspection for babies

• No careful exclusion and prevention

• No detailed reports, no real education, and often no warranty worth anything

From your point of view, it’s just “the wildlife company I found online.” But behind the scenes, you may be dealing with a lead broker and a subcontractor, not a professional, accountable wildlife firm.

Baby season: the part cheap trappers ignore

All of this becomes much worse during baby season.

In our area, raccoons, squirrels, skunks and other urban wildlife commonly have babies in spring and summer. During those months, your attic, soffits, vents, and chimneys are more than just hiding spots — they’re nursery dens.

When an inexperienced trapper shows up and simply:

• Sets traps for the mother

• Removes her from the property

• Declares the job “done”

…there’s a high chance her babies are still:

• Hidden in insulation

• Tucked behind walls

• Nestled deep in soffits or under a deck

Sometimes they’re “found” later by smell — or by a second company that has to cut open finished areas to remove decomposing bodies. Humane? Not even close. Cheap in the beginning? Yes. Cheap in the end? Definitely not.

A responsible, trained wildlife technician understands that during baby season, the job must account for the young:

• Locate the nest

• Gently remove the babies

• Use proper mother–baby reunion methods

• Install one-way doors and secure all entry points so the family relocates safely and can’t get back in

That takes time, experience and real training. It cannot be replaced by “just trap it.”

Why “live trapping” isn’t the humane solution it’s sold as

A lot of companies still market “live trapping and relocation” as the humane option. It sounds kind, but here’s the reality:

• When you trap a mother during baby season, her young are usually left behind to starve.

• Relocated animals are dumped into unfamiliar territory, where they must fight for food and shelter and often don’t survive.

• The stress of trapping, transport and release is intense, and sometimes fatal.

Ethical wildlife control has shifted toward humane exclusion — sealing the home and allowing animals to leave through one-way systems while handling babies properly and reuniting them with their mother outside.

If the only “plan” a company offers is a cage trap and a pickup truck, that’s not humane wildlife control; that’s a shortcut.

Homeowners aren’t just customers – you’re part of the solution

Even if Brampton brings in strong licensing rules, homeowners still have a responsibility. Your choices directly reward either:

• Companies that understand humane exclusion and baby season, or

• The fastest, cheapest trappers and lead-gen outfits

Here’s how to be on the right side of that choice.

A homeowner checklist for hiring a wildlife removal company in Brampton

1. Ask: “Are you the actual company, or just a booking/lead service?”

Be direct. You’re entitled to know.

• Who owns the website and the ad?

• Are they local and do they have a track record?

• Will their own trained technicians do the work, or is your job being sold to someone else?

If they dodge the question, move on.

2. Ask how they handle baby season – specifically

Try questions like:

• “What’s your process during baby season if there are babies in the attic?”

• “How do you find and remove babies, and how do you reunite them with the mother?”

• “Do you ever use one-way doors and baby removal/reunification instead of trapping?”

A professional will happily walk you through their approach. A cheap trapper will usually say something vague like “we’ll just catch them.”

3. Make humane exclusion the standard, not an upgrade

Look for companies that talk about:

• A full inspection of the roof, attic and exterior

• One-way doors, not just traps

• Sealing and screening vents, roof gaps, soffits and chimneys

• Written service plans and close-out reports

If everything they describe is trap-focused, you’re looking at a shortcut, not a solution.

4. Don’t pick solely on price and

It’s tempting to go with the cheapest quote, especially if all you hear is “We’ll remove them.” But ask yourself:

• Are they including prevention work (screening, sealing, repairs)?

• Are return visits included?

• Do they explain their plan in writing?

• Are they clearly accounting for babies if it’s spring or summer?

The cheapest quote often means less real work, more risk to animals, and a much higher chance that you’ll be calling someone else to fix it properly later.

The bottom line: responsible wildlife control starts with informed responsible homeowners

Brampton is right to consider licensing wildlife removal companies. Handling wild animals in people’s homes isn’t a side hustle; it’s specialized work that affects animal welfare, public health, and property safety.

But no bylaw can replace informed choices.

When homeowners:

• Refuse to accept trapping as the default, especially during baby season

• Avoid anonymous Google lead machines and demand to know who is actually doing the work

• Choose companies that invest in training, inspection, humane exclusion and prevention

…then the “wild west” culture in wildlife removal starts to disappear.

Cheap traps can create very costly problems. As a homeowner in Brampton, your best defence is simple: ask better questions, look beyond the ad, and insist on humane, professional methods — especially when baby season is in full swing.

Brampton Wildlife Control