The Ben Mulroney Show - Nothing says we're an unserious City, like signs saying Coyotes are our neighbours

Episode Date: April 30, 2025

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Conditions apply to all benefits. Visit pcfinancial.ca for details. Welcome back to the Ben Mulroney Show. And this next segment is devoted entirely to my belief that we are this is a prime example of the city of Toronto not being serious about something that's very serious. We have serious issues, issues of life and death, public safety, human dignity, and the people entrusted with all of those things are acting like school children.

And it's pathetic and it's dangerous. And this revolves around the conversation we're having about what to do with the coyote problem in an area of town where there has been an explosion of interaction between the residents and coyotes. So this is the area of town, like the Fort York area of Toronto, and I guess what happened was there is a transit infrastructure plan that is changing the migration and habitat of these coyotes and it's forcing interactions that didn't used to happen. And the residents who walk their dogs are feeling unsafe

and they're feeling unsafe because a lot of dogs have been eaten, a lot of people have been scared and some of them have had physical interactions with these predators. And a few weeks ago on this show, we talked about what to do with them, and because the city wants you to make yourself big and say, go away, coyote,

and treat them with the dignity of a neighbor. And I'm sorry, in a world of, if I have to pick between a human being and a coyote, I'm picking the human being every time. And there's been this pushback by the city trying to like seed the ground with an argument that, oh, we can all live together. No, we can't. No, we can't get rid of them.

And so that's where I thought we were going with the conversation. But then on Twitter, there are these signs that popped up from the Toronto.ca slash coyotes. You can go there. And there's a sign that says, I am your coyote neighbor. I am an omnivore who eats primarily rodents, rabbits, fruit and vegetation. I adapt my behavior to avoid people, cars and other city dangers. Urban green space is an important habitat for me. I struggle to keep my family safe from dogs and humans. I am a capable provider for my family and don't need you to feed me.

The city is taking the side of the coyote, trying to anthropomorphize, humanize the coyote so that we're not having a conversation between a wild animal and a human being who is a taxpayer who doesn't feel safe in the area in which they pay taxes. They're trying to tell you that the coyote deserves the same respect that the taxpayer does and that is in the immortal words of Veronica Corningstone, grade A baloney. And I want to hear from you at 416-870-6400 or 1-888-225-TALK. The question isn't, has Toronto lost the plot? That is a foregone conclusion.

They have lost their minds on this issue. And I just want to know how you feel about it. So give us a call, 416-870-6400 or 1-888-225-TALK. George, welcome to the show. You are a Coyote expert. Am I off base for being angry about this? Oh, not at all, Ben.

You're bang on. Once Coyotes get into an area, you can't get rid of them, but you do have to control them. And there's only one way to control them. You can't tramp and transfer. They'll just end up back there. They've got to control them. You can't trap and transfer. They'll just end up back there. They've got to be killed. It's that simple. And this time of the year is the best time to do that. And this is going to sound cruel, but I'm also a turkey hunter. And I've killed a number of coyotes while turkey hunting. They'll come to the turkey call, right?

It's like an easy meal for them. So they're expecting to get a hen sitting on eggs. So it's okay to shoot or for a coyote, the hen turkey sitting on eggs, but it's not okay for a human to kill a female coyote that might possibly be nursing pups. I know it sounds cruel, but it's the truth. That's the only way you'll get rid of them. Otherwise, the population is just going to continue to grow. Yeah. And George, thank you so much. Like, can we just have an honest conversation about this? And these are wild animals and they are affecting the lives of taxpayers.

The city decided to build there. The city decided to dig there. The city decided to dig there. The city is and various levels of government are responsible for putting the taxpayer in harm's way. The harm is the coyote. It is your duty as our representatives to make sure that the citizens that you allow to live there feel safe. Full stop, I don't care about the coyotes. I don't. I don't. And by the way, city council,

it is not your job to care about the coyotes. It is not your job. Your job is to take care of the taxpayer. In an ideal world, yes, let's care about the coyote. This ain't ideal. This ain't ideal. This is a worst case scenario for people who are living there. All right, Shane, welcome to the show. Yeah, I'm Ben, like the guys

like the guy who just called said, shoot the damn thing. I mean, listen, where we are, I mean, listen, we have about 30 hands. I mean, I have two bodies that specifically deal with the hands on a daily basis. They protect the hens, they protect the coombe. But you know, if the dogs are in, a coyote comes around, you get the 22 semi out, and you shoot the damn thing and be done with it. Yeah, well, unfortunately, most of those guns are illegal now. So, so for you guys, I guess. Yeah. Hey, Shane, thanks so much. We got a lot of calls coming in. A lot of people feel feeling something about this. Zach, welcome to the show. Am I am I making a tempest out of a teapot? You are making more than that. And you're speaking the truth.

There is no reason any type of animal should be more important than human beings at the end of the day, not just taxpayers, but we're human beings. They're being if we're being attacked, why is it still being allowed and being treated like it's a normal thing? Yeah, but Zach, did you hear what I said? Like, this is insidious. This is insidious by the city. They're trying to humanize these wild animals. I am your neighbor. I care for my family. They want you to have empathy for the wild animal

that if they see you, will see food. Is there a sign that says, Hey, I'm your human neighbor. I pay taxes here. I am NOT your food. This dog is not your... Like, of course not! Because it's... You should have ran for prime minister, man. Oh God, no. No, nobody needs that. I promise. I'm telling you, you need to do something about that. This is what I'm doing. This is the best I could do. Zach, thank you so much. Hey, Laurie, thank you for calling the Ben Mulroney

show. Hi, how are you this morning? You're a little bit wrapped up this morning. No, but this is crazy. This is literally the definition of crazy. And if you we don't call it out. This is not a bad decision by the city. This is dangerous. It's not the definition of crazy. So number one, we could lift 300 species that say, I'm your neighbor. Number two, the habitat has been disrupted. Number three, coyotes are not like the animals in the fairy tale that we were growing up with. Okay.

We don't need to call the coyotes. What we need to do is respect the boundaries. I'm not coming at this from a, you can call me woke, whatever. Well, I'm not gonna call you woke. Just listen though, I'm coming at this from a very strongly educated background, okay? So, not making things up. They're not anthropomorphizing. It is true that the coyotes are visible because what they do in their behavior is they monitor

their territory constantly. They are more interested in rodents and bunnies and squirrels and all the other things that people don't like in their yard than they are in humans. Off-leash dogs are a problem. They're not just a problem for coyotes. They're a problem for all the other animals whose habitat is shrinking. If your dog is on a leash, that coyote is following you to ensure that you leave its territory. It's not following you because it wants to eat you. Okay, Laurie, thank you. I've allowed you to speak. I'm going to

respond and I'm going to do so respectfully. A lot of stuff that you said we can both agree on, but the conclusions will be different. Yes, their habitat has been disrupted. That's not the fault of the person living there. Those were decisions that were made by the city, by the province. People were allowed to build there. People were allowed to buy there.

They have the right to feel safe. And you're telling me that they're not anthropomorphizing them. I reject that entirely. I'm reading this right now. I am your coyote neighbor. That's neighbors or people. They are turning them into people. They are trying to turn them into people to make it harder for people like you and me to have a hard conversation about culling these wild animals. But I do thank you for your call. And I know what anthropomorphize means. That's what they're doing here.

I am your coyote neighbor. The only neighbors I have are people. So by doing this, you are telling me that the coyote is closer to a person than they actually are, which is not at all. And by the way, I completely accept what Lori that Lori has the expert opinion, but our conclusions are going to be different. You don't have to be an expert to be afraid of a coyote

when you're walking your dog. Who do we have now? John, welcome to the show. Hi, hi. Listen, this whole coyote thing is so obvious. You know, you had a caller color that the quote-unquote expert this isn't about being an expert this is about understanding just the basics of it's a threat it's a danger note wants to fear i've about all the threats and dangers of the fact that it's not good and we need to deal with it but really

then this touches on a much much more important point which is what happened with government over the last number are you there yes i am touches on a much, much more important point, which is what's happened with government over the last number. Are you there? Yes, I am. Okay, you got about 10 seconds. Give me give me your thoughts in 10 seconds. government is they don't listen to the people they worry about the one person that says I'm worried about the coyotes. Yeah. And they don't listen to the majority whether it's Trudeau, Carney. Yeah, the government. All right, listen, we're getting off track. We're talking about the coyotes. We're going to keep that going with your calls after the break on the Ben Mulroney Show.

Welcome back to the Ben Mulroney Show. We're taking your calls at 416-870-6400 or 1-888-225-TALK. People in a certain area of Toronto have been feeling unsafe walking their dogs or just being out because the habitat of the coyotes has been disrupted and there's a lot more interaction between taxpayers and coyotes. Dogs have been killed and maimed, people have been injured, and now we see signs that are is trying to humanize, anthropomorphize these coyotes and trying to convince us that they are not a wild animal, but they are in fact our neighbors who are omnivores

and they're not concerned with human beings, rather they're concerned with eating rodents and they care for their families, which means you should care for them. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. That is insane and insulting to the people that you just asked to pay a double digit property tax increase two years in a row. So I want to know, I'm angry about this

because this tells me that the people who are supposed to work for us are not listening to us. But maybe I'm wrong, always willing to be proven wrong. Dan, welcome to the show. Ben, you know, coyote lives matter too. And I am glad that we have an animal that is keeping the environment balanced by eliminating annoying dogs that poop everywhere and hopefully those humans also that they're attacking are liberals so I think it's a good thing. Okay, okay I'm going to accept that call with the sarcasm that I hope it was intended with.

Thank you very much for your call. Frank is next. Frank, thanks so much for calling into the Ben Mulroney Show. Hey, Ben. Good morning to you. I think the city's seriously contradicting itself with regard to other similar policies that it has. You know, when it comes to a domesticated dog that bites and if they bite repeatedly, they

have the authority to euthanize the dog. We're talking about a domesticated dog. Yeah, no, I know. We've had those stories. We've told those stories here. It's a one striking your dead kind of rule. Absolutely. For some of the callers that called in about taking more of a merciful approach with coyotes, I've been surrounded by these dogs. I live in an area where there's a conservation authority. And I've been confronted by about five or six. Now, I carry a whistle. That usually scares them off. But these things are natural killers, predators. They're actually smarter than wolves in how they hunt. So I don't understand why they could take a more serious approach with these coyotes

because they do bite and they do attack. They kill dogs and they will attack children. So it is a safety issue. And euthanizing, I think, is the most reasonable approach. Yeah. And look, if, and thank you for that. Look, I don't want anybody to get injured look I don't want anybody to get injured I don't want anybody to get hurt but I swear to God the next person who gets injured by one of these coyotes should sue the city for a hundred million dollars. Just tie them up in court. Tie them up in court. See

what happens. Let the courts figure it out but if you do not if the city the city is showing in my amateur legal opinion, a callous disregard for human life, they are allowing wild animals, predators, to roam around and interact with taxpayers and children and dogs, this is not right. It's not right. And the fact that these signs are popping up

that are trying to socialize the idea that these are your neighbors is insane, insane. Anthony, welcome to the show. Good morning, Beth. Thanks for taking my call. Yeah, absolutely. And I think your former caller actually said it, Coyote's Live Matter, we're gonna put it on the t-shirt,

man, I gotta steal that. I'll make a million dollars off that one. Yeah. You know what, with the nonsensical things that happened in the city of Toronto. That's exactly why we got the red wave a couple of days ago. It's like we are now officially a city, a city of nonsense. You touched on the subject, double digit tax increase in property tax increase in the past couple of years, and we get nothing for it. You get a sign, you get a sign that says, Hey, fend for yourself. These are just your neighbors. And then we have to pay federally for the decisions of Toronto. That is absolutely crazy.

So yeah, I'm sorry, least I can't, you know, I can't share for you guys. I'm going to go ahead on this one. Hey, I don't care what your motivation is. I will take I will take you on the bandwagon. Thanks, Anthony. Wyatt, welcome to the Ben Mulroney Show. Hey Ben, how's it going? I'm well. Look, Ben, I like you, but you're asking for the government to save you here. It's a freaking coyote, man.

We got bigger fish to fry. You know, bring a whistle, kill the darn thing. I don't care about the coyotes. I think the city sign is dumb, but it's a freeing coyote. You know, there's a lot bigger fish to fry and for a small government guy, you're saying, hey, government, come save me.

But no, no, hold on. First of all, listen, there's a difference between, like governments have a role to play. And if the government is setting up a community in a place that used to be the ecosystem of a wild animal, it's their responsibility to allow the people who live there and pay taxes there and bought property there and invest their money in building a community there. They have a right to know that the city is going to keep that community safe.

That's not a big or small, that's actually quite literally the role of the most limited government. Yeah. No, but it is. It's a coyote, man. I mean, wow, that's like saying, oh, it's a wolf. Oh, it's a black bear. Like, what does it matter?

It's a wild animal with teeth that knows how to bite my limbs off. If one of them bites, put it down. But but you know you're moving into an air of some nature You're not moving it. No. No someone's not moving into a shack in the woods They're moving into a condo that was built there with roads that drive you there with with services provided there that the city and Zoned it for residential all of these are the role of a government, big or small. You can sit there and go, ah man, this is a coyote. Are you kidding?

Oh, it's just a tornado. Oh, it's just a flood. You can poo-poo anything if you don't care enough. I kind of think that human life is kind of worth preserving, kind of worth getting upset about. But if you don't care about anything, and it doesn't sound like he cares about much, if he's going to poo poo a coyote coming after a baby in a stroller, then I can't help him. Tom, welcome to the show. Oh, hi. Hi, Ben. I like your show.

Thank you. And I'm your politics. But I live out here in Mississauga. We get coyotes all the time. They're coming up and down the street. They're backyard the sun bathing across the way and i had a friend she's only a hundred plus two hundred pounds that coyotes are opportunists you got your dog off leash you're in trouble you got your dog on leash you could be in trouble because they're opportunists so she just the coyote came it was after her dog she picked her dog up the coyote left I confronted them a number of times I think part of the problem is and you're not going to get

rid of them they're in Central Park in New York there's no way you're going to get rid of them, even if you kill them all, they're going to come back. So my thought is people have got to learn to live with them. You shouldn't be on your phone when you're out walking your baby or your dog. You know what I mean? You've got to be aware they're opportunists. They're looking for opportunities. They're the best hunters in the world. And if you stand up to them, they're gone. So I'm not trying to say humans shouldn't be protected, but I think you gotta learn to live with these. Well, learning to live with them is one thing,

but having a government that is essentially saying, hey, let's treat them with respect and appreciate that they're just trying to look after their families. They're just trying to look after their kids. That's not the same thing. Because I'd like to know that the city is doing what it can to protect people. This is not doing what it can to protect people. This is doing what it can to

protect the coyote. And those are two different things. Let's welcome Chris to the show. Chris, thanks so much for calling in. Hey, Ben, love the show. And as much as Kevin doesn't like your opinions, I know we all do. So I've listened to a lot about this and things that people haven't broadened up is things are actually getting worse. I live near Humber and Alliance area and I've seen a pack of four of them, which is showing that they're increasing in size and numbers. So things that people don't know about Coyote disease, they work on something called a roll call or on roll effect, which is they'll do the howling or the roll call for their, their pack. And if they don't hear a member of that pack, it actually increases breeding and

stimulates breeding and putting the females in heat, which you can, that's frightening. That's bone chilling. So it increases more of the population growth if we don't handle it right now. So one thing I've looked into is that it's work because it's only going to get worse is to actually tag the coyotes and the pairs the adults and tell you them and it has to be one of those effects where we monitor them and then remove them, remove the adults because when even when you do the roll call it actually stimulates the pups to increase fertility and to start breeding sooner.

Chris, we gotta put your name in the hopper for coyotes are for the city of Toronto. Listen, man, so when coyotes, so when you have more population of predators and the prey decreases, the predators become more, as these people say, opportunist. They will go after small dogs, young children. Like I don't think they're gonna go after them,

but they could be more bold into. Yes, they could. Hey, I just wonder, Chris, like if they are howling after midnight, can I call 311 for a noise complaint? Will they come down and give a ticket to that coyote? Because they are my neighbor and they're breaking municipal bylaws. Just as much as you would expect Olivia Chow to come out and give a ticket to that coyote? Because they are my neighbor and they're breaking municipal bylaws.

Just as much as you would expect Olivia Chow to come out and deal with it, I think you're better luck. Yeah, no words. I just really think that people gotta remember that we're in a city and we're only getting bigger and there will be less and less prey for those predators and they will become more opportunist. So we have to really look at it as a big picture of looking down into the future and seeing

will this problem increase and if it does, how do we control it? Well, thank you so much for painting a vivid picture of an urban hellscape for us, Chris. Appreciate it and have a great Wednesday. Welcome back to the Ben Mulrooney show and it wouldn't be Canada, wouldn't be Toronto if we didn't talk about the budget, a budget shortfall, not having enough money to do the things that we should be able to do.

And apparently the TDSB, the Toronto District School Board, has a $58 million budget shortfall. And they are thinking of making cuts where they think of making cuts to school school pools, municipal the pools that exist inside and around Toronto District School Board schools. They're thinking this this could be a way to save money. Here's what Josh Matlow city counselor Josh Matlow had to say about that.

You know, these school pools are both assets for our kids, but they're also enjoyed by seniors by swimming classes throughout our communities and every one of our neighborhoods. And so what I'm asking the province to do is, you know, support these school pools so that we don't lose them. And look, you know, I don't deny that there's a budget shortfall, but it feels to me like this is playing politics with something that I think Josh Matlow rightly identifies as a sort of one of those community hubs, something that ties a community together, brings people together. It's not just about what you do with it during school hours, but how you can leverage it to make money

for the community writ large and bring people together of all walks of life and all age groups. But it feels to me like the TDSB is trying to use this as a leverage point to do what? To get more money in its budget. And my reaction to that is that's fine and that's fair. But can we also have a conversation about why you spent $2 million renaming schools

that didn't need to be renamed? Can you tell me why without consulting a historian, you decide to rename schools named after Sir John A. Macdonald? $2 million? What about the decisions to take kids in the TDSB on hate-filled field trips without consulting parents? That didn't happen for free.

And if it happened once that we found out about how many times did things like that happen across the TDSB over the course of months and years? Show me that you have clean hands and show me that you're running a tight efficiency ship and you're making the right decisions. And yeah, then yeah, I'll say maybe let's take a look at your budget. But I can I can point to $2 million right here that was burnt lit on fire for no reason

that did not improve the the education of our kids one iota and I want to hear from you at 416-870-6400 or 1-888-225-TALK. Are we at the point now with a $58 million budget shortfall, should we be closing these pools? Or is it time to really do an audit of the TDSB's budget and the decision making and ask ourselves, all right, do they have the right people in the right jobs? Do they have the right number of people in the right jobs?

And how much are they getting paid for that? And let's talk about the renaming of the schools and anything else that was performative in nature that didn't go directly to the quality of the education that ultimately should lead to positive outcomes in test scores. That's what I care about. I wanna know that when my kid is going to school, they are getting the best bang for my buck. And the stories that we've been reporting on this radio station are such

that I don't know that that's the case. Actually, I know it's not the case. And to be fair, my kids were not the ones who went to the the the grassy narrows Gaza protest and my kids are not and do not go to a Sir John A. McDonald school that got renamed But the this speaks to a mindset this speaks to values They are you often hear if you want to know what a government believes look at their budget you want to know what their values Are look at their budget. I could say the same thing about the TDSB You want to know what their values are? Look at their budget. I could say the same thing about the TDSB. The fact that they would prioritize $2 million

to rename schools over people who did not deserve that treatment tells me what they care about. Jim, welcome to the Ben Mulroney Show. Good morning, Ben. Good morning. Yeah, so just like down in the United States with what the POTUS had just done with their educational system by going through the fine-tooth comb and looking at the waste and the spending and reducing the services as well.

I think that should be done here. We need to know exactly where our tax dollars are going as far as the education of our children. And like you just said, like around the world, G7 nation, we are absolutely at the bottom of the list as far as our educated children. Yeah, the money that we're putting in is not translating to the outcomes that we deserve as a society. And all like, I don't care about anything else

except making sure that when my kids come out of that school, whatever TDSB school they're in, I don't care about anything else except making sure that when my kids come out of that school, whatever TDSB school they're in, they're coming out armed with the best possible education they can get for our public dollars. And I don't know that that's... No, I keep saying that, I keep hedging. I know that's not happening. I know it's not happening.

And so before we say, yes, of course, let's shut down those pools. You're right. Let's shut them down because the kids matter most of the kids mattered most. You would not have spent $2 million renaming schools that were named after people like Sir John A. McDonald. You wouldn't have done it. So I don't believe that argument. I do not believe it because it flies in the face of the evidence that I've seen. Rob, welcome to the Ben Mulroney show.

Ben. Yes. Dude, this this this subject is great. I've seen. Rob, welcome to the Ben Mulroney show. Ben. Yes. Dude, this this this subject is great. I love it. So you know, the trouble with the different school boards is they're they're capitulating to the perpetually offended. Right? And then and then the perpetually offended sit there and complain that the schools are falling apart. Yeah, like the schools are owned and operated by the various boards. Let's use TDSP as an example. Here they're taking money that they receive as operational funding, which is supposed to go to operations, i.e. educating your children and not sending home letters to say, hey, can you guys send in a box of Kleenex or paper or pencils and crayons, etc.. Like what the heck and this is what

they're wasting their money on while the roofs collapse or falls are falling apart. Their electrical systems are disheveled. The classrooms have mold growing in them. But it's a funding problem. It's not a funding problem. They just don't prioritize what they're supposed to be there for. Education, not indoctrination. Rob? It's the kids how to think, not what to think Rob. We're gonna leave it there I got a couple more calls. I want to get to before the break. So thank you very much Scott welcome to the show. Tell me what you think in about 30 seconds, please. I Just said to your screener. I love you Ben to get I'm not sure the Minister of Education is now in the problem

I know it's not Stephen Lecce anymore but you know these guys have had three majorities now and They've done nothing about the education system And I mean, I don't know what Doug Ford is waiting for But if ever there was a chance to go in there and either blow the TDS be the kingdom come or At least get in there and clean house. Yeah, we've met the teachers union etc What does yeah, it's what they've been makes running the asylum is what it is. it's a joke. Well, I think some, we've got to, what is it? Um, sunlight is the best disinfected.

I think you've got to open that thing up and, and, and see the inner workings before we decide to throw more money at it. But thank you all for your calls. Want to transform your space and your Sundays? Well, Home Network is giving you the chance to love your home with $15,000. There can only be one winner. Tune in to Renovation Resort every Sunday and look for the code word during the show.

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