Okay, so I am very freaked out by stories of bed bugs in Toronto.

We are hoping to live in Toronto and rent an apartment. Just how likely is it that I will come across them in Toronto? Anyone had any experience of this?

It's quite likely. Here are some fun facts about infestations:

Bed Bug Reports for Toronto

Yea I've seen that website and it doesn't help my paranoia. I'm scared to emigrate for them!!

Canada is full of biting bugs, unfortunately.

You'll find them in their hoards, here. Such creatures as fleas, mosquitoes, blackfly, lawyers, ticks, horsefly, deerfly and real estate agents, just to name a few.

Just out of interest, have you looked up similar stories for where you live now? Apparently London is seeing a massive increase in reported infestations.

BBC - Inside Out - London - Bed bugs

Maybe the risk in Toronto isn't so much worse than where you are now.

Superwench, I tend to agree with this....I've lived in some pretty ghastly places, Central London in particular, and don't think I was ever too far from a nasty something. I believe several large stores on Oxford and Regent Street had outbreaks of bedbugs fairly recently. Certainly during a stint as an estate agent in Wimbledon I got fleas a couple of times

Put anywhere we live under the microscope and we'd probably all be horrified with the findings I fear.....if your future happiness might lie in Toronto don't let the buggers stop you

Where people live in close quarters bed bugs will eventually pop up. Just can't be avoided. Even 5 star hotels have to deal with bed bugs at some point.

By "bedbugs", are you referring to those little cimicid bugs that are a few millimeters long? If so, then those are definitely in Southern Ontario, according to all the distribution maps I'm finding online.

Personally, I believe that bedbugs in Toronto are nothing compared to certain other places where even worse things can crawl on you and possibly bite you while you're sleeping.

You should know that, contrary to many thoughts, bed bugs have nothing to do with dirty, unhygienic conditions. You could be sitting on a bus/subway/cinema/pub etc, etc, etc, and one can get onto you by leaping from your sitting neighbour's coat. They are known to travel and you may bring some with you if you decide to emigrate.

Why is there an influx?

More people = more opportunity for the bugs to spread, and Toronto like Vancouver and other city's have more and more multi-family housing and apartment and condo buildings are the bed bugs best friend, just like hotels are.