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News Analysis

Canada's Tick Reports Surge in 2026: A Province-by-Province Guide to Lyme Disease Risk, Prevention, and Removal

Tick submissions are up 108.9 per cent in Manitoba, 71.5 per cent in Alberta, and 50.2 per cent in Ontario this year. Here's how to assess your real risk, prevent bites the right way, remove ticks safely, and decide when to seek medical care.

By Refdesk Team

Canada's Tick Reports Surge in 2026: A Province-by-Province Guide to Lyme Disease Risk, Prevention, and Removal

What This Means for You

Tick reports across Canada have climbed sharply in 2026, with the most dramatic year-over-year increases recorded in the Prairie provinces and a continued rise in established Eastern hotspots. According to data published by CP24 on June 24, 2026, drawing on eTick.ca submissions through June 23, Manitoba's tick reports are up 108.9 per cent, Alberta's are up 71.5 per cent, Saskatchewan's are up 53.2 per cent, Quebec's are up 39.2 per cent, and New Brunswick's are up 32.4 per cent over the same period in 2025. Ontario accounts for 52.9 per cent of all national tick reports with 8,735 ticks logged so far this year — a 50.2 per cent jump, and a 72.8 per cent jump for the blacklegged tick that transmits Lyme disease. The practical question is what to actually do with that information, and the answer is different depending on where you live, what you do outdoors, and who is in your household.

If You Are a Parent or Caregiver

Immediate action (this week):

  • Do a daily full-body tick check on every child after any time outside. Ticks need to be attached for roughly 24 to 36 hours to transmit Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Daily checks before bed are the single most effective prevention tool you control.
  • Check the high-yield body zones in this order: behind the ears, along the hairline and scalp, in the armpits, around the belly button, the waistband, behind the knees, and between the toes. Use a hand mirror or a partner for the back of the neck and shoulder blades.
  • Photograph any tick you find before removing it, with a coin or fingernail for scale. The photo helps your doctor or eTick.ca submission classify the species (blacklegged versus dog tick versus brown dog tick).

What to prepare:

  • A "tick kit" by the door: fine-tipped tweezers (drugstore, $4–$8), a tick-removal tool such as a tick key or tick twister ($7–$15), rubbing alcohol, a small zip-top bag, and a permanent marker for dating the bag.
  • An EPA- or Health Canada-registered repellent. DEET at 20–30 per cent or icaridin at 20 per cent are the two main options for children over six months. Apply once in the morning before outside time and re-apply only if you are out longer than the label states.
  • Permethrin-treated clothing for camp, hiking, or yard work. Permethrin kills ticks on contact and survives multiple washes. Pre-treated socks, pants, and tick gaiters are sold at most outdoor retailers in Canada in the $25–$70 range.

Resources:

Example scenario: A family in Halifax with two kids (ages 7 and 10) goes to a wooded provincial park on a Saturday. Before leaving, both kids get long pants tucked into socks, light-coloured shirts, and 20 per cent icaridin on exposed skin. Before showering that night, the parents do a 5-minute full-body check on each child. They find one nymph-stage blacklegged tick attached at the calf of the older child. They photograph it, remove it with fine-tipped tweezers, save it in a marked bag with the date and location, and submit a photo to eTick.ca. The next morning eTick.ca confirms it was a blacklegged tick. Given Nova Scotia accounts for 600 of Canada's reported Lyme cases in 2026 (the highest of any province), the parents call their family doctor — who, in line with Nova Scotia's high-risk-area protocol, prescribes a single-dose doxycycline prophylaxis to the child the same day.

If You Are an Outdoor Worker

Immediate action:

  • Talk to your supervisor about your employer's tick exposure plan. Under occupational health and safety legislation in most provinces, workers exposed to biological hazards are entitled to information, training, and protective equipment. Forestry workers, surveyors, landscapers, utility workers, park staff, and farmers are at elevated risk.
  • Keep a tick log for any bite that occurs at work. Record the date, location, body site, time attached if known, and the result of any eTick.ca or laboratory identification. This log is the foundation of a future workers' compensation claim if a Lyme diagnosis follows.
  • Know your provincial WSIB/WCB position on Lyme disease. In Ontario, the WSIB recognizes Lyme disease as an occupational illness for workers exposed to wooded or brushy environments. In British Columbia, WorkSafeBC has similar policies. The burden of proof eases significantly if you reported the bite at the time and submitted the tick.

What to prepare:

  • A permethrin-treated work uniform. A typical treated pant-and-shirt combination runs $80–$150 and lasts about 70 washes. The cost is a tiny fraction of a single missed day of work, never mind a Lyme infection that becomes chronic.
  • A change of clothes and a shower at the end of each work day. A shower within two hours of being outdoors substantially reduces the risk of attachment because unattached ticks are washed off.
  • Daily skin checks by a partner, ideally with a focus on the popliteal fossa (behind the knee), the inguinal area, and the scalp — the three highest-yield zones for attached ticks.

Example scenario: A 38-year-old utilities lineworker in Manitoba — a province with a 108.9 per cent year-over-year increase in tick reports — works in mixed prairie and aspen parkland for ten weeks each summer. Calculation: 50 working days outside × roughly 8 hours of exposure = 400 hours of risk per season. At a tick-encounter rate of one tick per 40 hours of high-grass exposure (Geneticks data), that's roughly 10 ticks per season. A permethrin-treated uniform reduces tick attachment by 73 per cent in field studies, taking the expected number of attached ticks from roughly 10 to 3 — and a 24-hour-removal protocol effectively brings the Lyme transmission risk close to zero.

If You Are a Pet Owner

Immediate action:

  • Talk to your veterinarian this week about tick prevention for your dog or outdoor cat. Oral preventatives (Bravecto, NexGard, Simparica), topicals (Frontline Plus, Advantix), and tick collars (Seresto) all reduce tick attachment, but coverage spectrum and dosing intervals differ. Veterinarian-prescribed oral preventatives typically run $20–$30 per month per dog.
  • Run a tick comb through your dog's coat after every walk in long grass, especially behind the ears, around the neck and collar, on the belly, and between toes. Ticks on pets are how ticks get into homes.
  • Vaccinate your dog against Lyme disease if you live in or visit an endemic area. Canine Lyme vaccines (Nobivac Lyme, VANGUARD crLyme, Recombitek Lyme) are widely available; the typical schedule is an initial dose, a booster three to four weeks later, and an annual booster, at roughly $40–$60 per dose.

What to prepare:

  • A check-in with your vet about lameness, fatigue, or appetite changes. Lyme disease in dogs presents differently than in humans — usually as joint inflammation 2–5 months after a bite, sometimes with kidney involvement.
  • Yard management for tick reduction: keep the lawn short, clear leaf litter from the perimeter, create a 3-foot wood-chip or gravel barrier between the lawn and any wooded edge, and stack firewood off the ground in a dry, sunny spot.

For All Canadians: Tick Removal Done Right

The single most common mistake is panicking and squeezing the tick's body, which can push pathogens into the wound. The correct technique applies anywhere in the country:

  1. Use fine-tipped tweezers or a tick-removal tool. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible — by the head, not the body.
  2. Pull straight up with steady, even pressure. Do not twist, jerk, or burn. Do not apply petroleum jelly, nail polish, or hot matches; these techniques can stress the tick and increase pathogen transmission.
  3. If the mouthparts break off in the skin, leave them. They will work their way out as the skin heals. Forcing them out causes more damage than the mouthparts will.
  4. Clean the bite area with rubbing alcohol or soap and water. Watch for the next 30 days for a red expanding rash (the "erythema migrans" or "bull's-eye" rash), fever, fatigue, headache, joint pain, or muscle aches.
  5. Save the tick in a sealed bag with the date and location. Submit a clear photo to eTick.ca. If you get sick, that identification dramatically changes the diagnostic workup.

When to see a doctor immediately, not "wait and see":

  • You have any expanding rash at the bite site (even without a classic bull's-eye pattern).
  • You develop flu-like symptoms within 30 days of a bite.
  • The tick was attached for more than 24 hours and you live in a high-risk area (most of Nova Scotia, parts of New Brunswick and PEI, southern and eastern Ontario, southern Quebec, southeastern Manitoba, the South Okanagan and southern Vancouver Island).
  • The tick was a blacklegged tick (confirmed by eTick.ca or photo).

The News: What Happened

According to CP24 News on June 24, 2026, citing eTick.ca data through June 23, tick reports across Canada have surged significantly in 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. CP24 reported the year-over-year increases as: Manitoba 108.9 per cent, Alberta 71.5 per cent, Saskatchewan 53.2 per cent, Quebec 39.2 per cent, and New Brunswick 32.4 per cent. Ontario accounts for 52.9 per cent of all reports, with 8,735 ticks logged so far this year — a 50.2 per cent increase. The increase in the blacklegged tick specifically, which transmits the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, is 72.8 per cent.

According to the same CP24 reporting, at least 1,072 Lyme disease cases have been reported in 2026 across four provinces: Nova Scotia (600), Ontario (296), Quebec (155), and New Brunswick (21). The federal Lyme disease and tick-borne disease surveillance system, maintained at health-infobase.canada.ca, confirms that the geographic range of established blacklegged tick populations has expanded over the past two decades as winters have shortened and warmed.

As quoted by CP24, Justin Wood, founder of Geneticks, said: "I expect this upward trend to continue every year in Canada for the foreseeable future. Climate change is the driver to this process." Dr. Michael Libman of McGill University, also quoted by CP24, noted that "ticks depend on both mice and deer for their life cycle, and it is the changes in these populations which are as important as the warm weather directly affecting tick survival." Janet Sperling of the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation told CP24 that "we will have to learn to live with the ticks." The Public Health Agency of Canada's Lyme disease prevention toolkit, published on canada.ca, is the federal government's primary public-facing reference.

Analysis: Why This Matters

Based on our analysis of the surveillance data, the 2026 numbers represent a continuation — not a new trend — but the geographic pattern is the part that should reshape how Canadians think about tick risk.

First, the Prairies are now in the conversation. A doubling of Manitoba tick reports, and a 71.5 per cent jump in Alberta, is not just statistical noise on a small base. The American dog tick has long been present in southern Manitoba; what's changing is the steady push of the blacklegged tick westward and northward, riding on migratory birds and expanding deer populations. For Prairie families who never thought of ticks as a concern, the next two summers are likely to change that assumption. The practical takeaway is not panic; it is to add basic tick checks to the routine after any time in long grass, brush, or wooded edges.

Second, Ontario's blacklegged tick increase (72.8 per cent) is the public-health story. Ontario already has 296 Lyme cases reported in 2026 and the highest absolute tick volume. The province's blacklegged tick is the species that actually transmits Borrelia burgdorferi. Expansion of this species into the GTA's ravines, the Niagara escarpment, the Bruce Peninsula, the Long Point area, and northward up the Highway 11 corridor means more Ontarians are encountering Lyme-vector ticks closer to home than they realize.

Third, Nova Scotia's 600 Lyme cases is the diagnostic story. Per capita, Nova Scotia has the highest reported Lyme disease incidence in Canada by a wide margin. Most of the province is now considered an endemic area, which means physicians can — and in many cases should — prescribe a single dose of doxycycline as post-exposure prophylaxis when a confirmed blacklegged tick has been attached for 36 hours or more in an adult or older child. If you are bitten in Nova Scotia and your physician is unfamiliar with the prophylaxis protocol, the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2020 guidelines and the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada guidance both support this approach.

Historical Context

The first confirmed Canadian Lyme disease case was reported in Ontario in 1977. As recently as 2009, fewer than 150 cases were reported nationally per year. By 2017, that had climbed past 2,000 cases per year, and Public Health Agency of Canada data shows continued geographic expansion in nearly every subsequent year. The 2026 totals — already over 1,000 cases by late June across only four reporting provinces — are consistent with this multi-decade trend.

What Happens Next

The remainder of 2026 will see continued nymph activity through mid-July, then a relatively quieter period in August, then an adult-tick second peak in September and October. Most Canadian Lyme infections are transmitted by nymphs in June and July because nymphs are small (the size of a poppy seed), easy to miss on a body check, and active during peak human outdoor time. The September-October second peak is when adult ticks — easier to see but still capable of transmitting infection — re-emerge.

Your Action Plan

Immediate (This Week):

  • Assemble a tick kit by your door (fine-tipped tweezers, tick key, rubbing alcohol, zip-top bags, marker).
  • Buy DEET 20–30 per cent or icaridin 20 per cent repellent (Canadian Tire, Shoppers, Walmart, hardware stores).
  • Bookmark eTick.ca on your phone for fast tick ID.
  • Talk to your vet about year-round tick prevention for dogs and outdoor cats.

Short-term (This Month):

  • Treat outdoor-work and hiking clothes with permethrin (or buy pre-treated).
  • Walk your yard perimeter and identify any leaf litter, woodpile, or brushy edge to clear.
  • Mow the lawn short; create a 3-foot wood-chip or gravel barrier at any wooded edge.
  • Confirm with your family physician whether your local public health unit considers your area an endemic Lyme zone.

Long-term (This Year):

  • Build a household routine of post-outdoor tick checks before showers in summer and early fall.
  • If your dog has not had a Lyme vaccine and you live in or visit a risk area, ask your vet about the spring vaccination series.
  • If you spend significant time outdoors for work, file a report with your provincial WSIB/WCB any time you find an attached tick — even if no symptoms develop.
  • Review the Government of Canada Lyme disease surveillance dashboard annually to see how your area is trending.

Other Perspectives

Public Health Agency of Canada:

According to the federal Lyme disease prevention toolkit on canada.ca, prevention is built on a five-part strategy: cover up outside, use repellent, do daily tick checks, shower within two hours of being outside, and tumble dry clothes on high heat for 10 minutes to kill any ticks present.

Researcher View:

As quoted by CP24, Justin Wood of Geneticks attributes the upward trend primarily to climate change driving milder winters and earlier tick activity. Dr. Michael Libman of McGill University emphasized the role of mice and deer population changes in sustaining and expanding tick populations.

Patient Advocate View:

As quoted by CP24, Janet Sperling of the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation said Canadians will need to "learn to live with the ticks" — framing this as a permanent adaptation, not a temporary surge. Patient advocates have long pressed for broader physician education on Lyme symptoms beyond the classic bull's-eye rash.

Veterinary View:

Canadian veterinary associations have moved in recent years toward recommending year-round, rather than seasonal, tick preventatives for dogs in endemic and near-endemic areas, given that ticks can be active any day temperatures rise above approximately 4°C.

Note: Including multiple perspectives doesn't imply all views are equally valid, but ensures readers can make informed judgments.

Corrections Policy

We strive for accuracy. If you find an error in this analysis, please email us at [email protected]. We will promptly investigate and correct any factual inaccuracies.

Updates:

  • No corrections to date (as of June 24, 2026)

Sources