Another Mississauga city councillor is warning people about the dangers of feeding coyotes after a recent increase in the unsafe — and illegal — behaviour at a west-end park.
The “ongoing problem” in the Friendship Community Park area of Churchill Meadows, north of Thomas Street and west of Tenth Line, has prompted Ward 10 Coun. Sue McFadden to call on residents to report any sightings of people leaving food out for the wild animals.
“If you see something, say something — for the benefit of all,” the councillor said in her December newsletter to the community, adding residents can call the City of Mississauga’s 311 line to report the illegal activity.
“Feeding wildlife is not good for you, the animals or the community. And it’s illegal,” the message to residents from McFadden continued. “Animal Services has noted an ongoing problem of food being left out for coyotes in the Friendship Community Park area of Churchill Meadows.”
In her newsletter, McFadden provided a link to the city’s website and a section on feeding wildlife.
Mississauga officials note in their online information that people, under the city’s Animal Care and Control Bylaw, “are not allowed to feed wild animals or leave out food to attract wild animals on public or private property … the maximum penalty for violations of this bylaw is $100,000.”
Ward 10 Coun. Sue McFadden is calling on residents to report any sightings of people leaving food out for coyotes.
Last February, Ward 6 Coun. Joe Horneck pleaded with residents to “please stop feeding the coyotes” after the wild animals began making themselves at home during the day at elementary school playgrounds in his community, also in Mississauga’s west end.
The unexpected — and unwelcome — daytime presence of the critters forced many kids to stay inside for recess time on numerous occasions, he said at the time.
“Sadly, we are seeing a number of people in the community feeding coyotes and I can’t tell you in the last two to three months how many recesses have been cancelled now at local schools for the coyotes hanging out in the playground,” Horneck told fellow councillors and senior city staff at a general committee meeting in February. “It’s not good, it’s not OK … I’ve got coyote problems that I’m having trouble dealing with.”
Aerial image shows Friendship Community Park and surrounding area, where city officials say they’ve noticed a recent increase in people feeding coyotes.
City officials have been trying to get people to stop feeding coyotes and other wild animals in Mississauga for many years now, their public messaging campaign ramping up significantly the past three years or so.
In December 2024, the city noted coyotes in Mississauga and other urban locations across the Greater Toronto Area are eating more human food and litter these days. Those feeding habits, they warned, can prove dangerous to both the wild animals and people.
“Coyotes that eat human food may be more likely to act aggressively, become sick or die. Their search for easy meals results in more frequent and potentially dangerous encounters with humans,” city officials said at the time.
Officials added the situation is worsening, observing “nowadays, urban coyotes consume twice the amount of human food compared to coyotes living in rural areas, who still hunt for food.”
That caution from the city was among the latest in an ongoing social media and in-person education campaign that for the past several years has attempted to deliver the simple — and necessary, officials say — message to Mississauga residents: don’t feed the coyotes.
Ward 6 Coun. Joe Horneck said last February schools in his ward had a coyote problem.
The city says it’s not only the intentional feeding of coyotes and other wild animals by some residents that poses a problem, but the unintentional provision of human food and litter as well.
Items of food and other waste not properly secured in residential compost, recycle and trash bins are easily accessed by the prowling critters, who over time learn it’s easier to grab human food in such ways rather than hunt their natural prey, officials explain.
Coyotes can also be spotted on occasion wandering through city parking lots in search of discarded food and other items.
“Coyotes living in urban areas like Mississauga are increasingly turning to scavenging for human food and litter as a common food source instead of hunting small prey or foraging for fruits and nuts,” the city said earlier. “Many are often mistaking litter for food, consuming things like plastic bottle caps, food wrappers, leftover scraps and coffee cups. This type of diet can make coyotes very sick, cause malnutrition and lead to aggressive behaviour.”
(Coyote photos: City of Mississauga)
Mississauga Animal Services officials noted earlier that while coyotes are strong predators, “hunting for prey can be challenging, leading some urban coyotes to adapt to new food sources that require little hunting and effort to satisfy their hunger. Instead of hunting small mammals or foraging for nuts and fruits, some coyotes have developed a taste for human food, particularly highly processed food like fast food, junk food and sweets. Many urban coyotes can’t distinguish between food and what is not food — like bottle caps, pop can tabs, food wrappers and containers or plastic bags.”
The city says coyotes also play an important role in controlling the population of rapidly reproducing mammals like mice, rabbits and rats, so it’s crucial they continue to hunt those animals instead of seeking out human food and garbage.
Encourage coyotes to stay away, the city says
City officials have said on numerous occasions residents have a big role to play in keeping coyotes focused on their natural prey instead of taking up the hunt for human food and litter.
“By making our neighbourhoods less appealing to coyotes, we can encourage them to remain in natural urban areas and encourage them to return to their carnivore diets,” officials said.
The city says residents should:
secure garbage and compost bins to prevent easy access
remove all potential food sources from your property
not feed coyotes
not litter food items, wrappers and containers
wash food items thoroughly before putting them out for recycling
keep pet food and water bowls indoors
remove ripe fruit from trees and fallen fruit from the ground on your property
avoid leaving large amounts of birdseed on lawns
“Coyotes are usually timid and avoid humans; however, they become more comfortable around people the more they are fed, which can lead to a bigger chance of encounters and interactions with them,” city officials noted earlier. “As more urban coyotes rely on scavenging than hunting, many need to teach their pups how to hunt for prey rather than how to find human food. By cutting off access to human food sources and maintaining a respectful distance, we can easily encourage coyotes to go back to hunting in their natural habitats and eating a carnivore-style diet high in protein.”
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