Ontario’s blacklegged ticks reports are running more than 40 per cent ahead of last spring, with the biggest concentration in the Greater Toronto Area. As of Wednesday, eTick had logged 2,759 tick reports across the province, including 1,672 blacklegged ticks.
Jade Savage On GTA Reports
Jade Savage, an entomologist and professor at Bishop’s University, said Ontario’s tick season is off to a very strong start. “The Greater Toronto Area is always the hot spot, and it usually remains the hot spot throughout the year,” she said.
The reports were concentrated in southern Ontario, centered around Toronto, Mississauga and Hamilton. Savage said blacklegged ticks are gradually spreading northward as climate change makes winters more bearable for them.
Spring 2026 Tick Season
The province’s tick season typically runs from spring to fall, and in Toronto reports usually start coming in around April and continue until October. Adult blacklegged ticks can also become active in winter if temperatures rise above 4 C.
Savage said, “Blacklegged ticks really like this sort of weather,” referring to a warm winter and cool spring. She also said reports of Lyme disease-carrying ticks are already up more than 40 per cent this spring compared with the same time last year.
Homeowners In Toronto
Nick Dudlak, co-owner of Buzzskito, said the increase is already showing up at the household level. “This year especially, we are seeing a lot more cases and concerns from homeowners about ticks,” he said. He added, “Homeowners that live in heavily vegetated properties are definitely at greater risk.”
For readers in southern Ontario, the practical signal is simple: the most reported activity is already clustered in the GTA, and the season is underway. That makes yards with thick vegetation the places to watch first, especially in Toronto, Mississauga and Hamilton.
