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Amid complaints from residents about a rise in aggressive coyotes since the pandemic, when coyote populations established themselves, especially in Thornhill, city officials are looking into upgrading their coyote response strategy.  

According to city data, coyote sightings have been most prevalent in Thornhill, with the last two years seeing a drastic hike. This year, a total of 386 coyote sightings were reported in Vaughan and 240 of those were in Ward 5 (Thornhill), an area bounded by Dufferin Street, Highway 7, Yonge Street and Steeles Avenue West. In 2024, there were 315 coyote sightings in the ward, a jump from 77 in 2023. 

While sightings alone are not problematic, some residents point to interactions with small children and pets where coyotes have become aggressive.

The City of Vaughan confirmed to the Star that there was an interaction between a child and coyote at Thornhill Public School on Sept. 2, but no details of what occurred were disclosed. Vaughan Animal Services is investigating an interaction between a child and a coyote on Sept. 9 at Burleigh Mews, near Atkinsons Avenue and Rosedale Heights Drive, just 2 km from the school. 

York Regional Police confirmed officers responded to the call on Sept. 9 with reports of a child bitten or scratched.

Police also said officers attended two different incidents in York region over the summer, with reports of a child being bitten by coyotes, with one of the incidents reported on Aug. 16 in the area of Clarke Avenue and Springfield Way in Thornhill. 

The coyotes Posen has witnessed are not afraid of people, she said, as she described a situation when she had to scare one off. 

Last summer, Posen’s then 17-year-old son and his friend were chased by two coyotes she says were about the size of German Shepherds when they were walking one evening in the Beverly Glen neighbourhood. 

When the son called his mom for help, Posen drove to his rescue. After the two were safe inside the vehicle, she honked at the coyotes but they didn’t seem to budge. 

“I was frightened... but the coyotes didn’t seem scared at all,” she said. “I tried to chase them with my car and they barely moved.”

The attacks have put Thornhill residents on edge, as Posen said she sees many of her neighbours take baseball bats or “huge sticks” when they leave their homes for a walk— day or night— especially dog owners. 

“You can’t just have a nice stroll in the area without having to worry about these coyotes,” she said. 

Resident Elyza Polsky wrote in a letter to Vaughan City Council that a coyote ambushed her 9-year-old neighbour’s birthday party held at a Vaughan park last weekend, grabbing a seven pound leashed dog that was near several adults and children. It was unsuccessful in snatching the dog after an adult chased the animal away. 

People may notice more coyotes in the late fall as it’s when the pups raised in dens typically grow strong and capable enough to leave in search of their own territory ahead of mating season in winter, according to Coyote Watch Canada. 

In 2022, Vaughan adopted a coyote response strategy that focuses on education and monitoring coyote activity. Although sightings have increased in recent years, the city said the strategy helps minimize conflict between coyotes and pets and people.

But, some residents, including Coun. Gila Martow (Ward 5), say the current strategy is not enough. 

At a city council meeting Wednesday, Martow brought forward a motion that asks city officials to consider hiring licensed trappers to identify problem coyotes in the neighbourhood and to humanely euthanize them, similar to what other municipalities have done. 

Martow referred to how the City of º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøeuthanized a pair of coyotes in the spring that were responsible for the deaths of multiple pets in the Liberty Village area. She added that since then, she hasn’t heard of coyote-related incidents in the neighbourhood. 

The councillor said her solution needs to be executed along with continuing to implement public education and eliminating food sources in the wild such as fruit trees and introducing animal-proof garbage bins. 

“We have some problem animals. I believe they are beyond hazing, beyond rehabilitating, and they need to be euthanized and taken away,” she said. 

The motion passed and city staff are expected to bring a report to the Monday council meeting to discuss the costs of hiring qualified animal trappers.

City staff suggested relocating problem coyotes, but according to the province, most wildlife cannot be relocated more than 1 km away, as the animals have scent trails, they would just come back. 

Thornhill resident Jules Duke said the coyote situation is “out of control,” and she frequently sees lone coyotes on her street, and hears their yipping and howling. 

Duke was taking a walk with her husband one July night when she noticed a pack of about six coyotes making their way around the neighbourhood on Arnold Avenue, where they roamed in the middle of the road, ran back and forth from homes and lingered at someone’s driveway. She kept a distance, but said the pack consisted of at least two adults and some young coyotes. 

This coyote pack appears to be known by several residents in the Arnold Avenue area and was even captured in a video posted online that Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca acknowledged at Wednesday’s meeting, saying he’s “never seen anything like that.”

The mayor wrote in a statement to the Star that he’s heard from many residents and has seen photos and videos of aggressive coyotes, and that he knows “many of you feel exhausted and frustrated, and I am listening.”

“Not all coyotes are harmful to humans or dogs, but I think there definitely are some aggressive coyotes in the neighbourhood ,” Duke said.