‘You have to be careful’: Experts warn tick season has started early in Canada – CTV
April 22, 2026
HALIFAX — As the weather warms up, many Canadians are spending more time outside. The change of season provides Nova Scotia’s Donna Lugar an opportunity to remind people about the dangers of ticks.
“I had about 40 symptoms and was in bed, in the dark because I had a light sensitivity,” said Lugar, who was diagnosed with a tick-borne illness 14 years ago, and is now urging all Canadians to use extreme caution to avoid exposure to tick bites and the diseases they carry.
“You have to be careful and make tick checks a part of your daily routine.”
Mount Allsion University biology professor Vett Lloyd said bites from black-legged ticks are the most dangerous.
“When they bite, they are going to be spitting into your bloodstream,” Lloyd said. “Pathogens, disease-causing microbes, bacteria and viruses that they have picked up from the wildlife.”
She pointed to the effects of the recent harsh winter as a reason why there has been an increase in the tick population.
