Municipalities push back against B.C.'s short-term rental rules

Some municipalities in British Columbiaare pushing back against provinciallegislation that restrictsshort-term rentals.

Prince George city council votedunanimously on Monday to requestto opt out of the Short-Term Rental Accommodations Acteven though the city does notmeeteligibility requirements.

As part of its plan to put moreunits back into the long-term rental pool,the province introduced legislation last Octoberto limit short-term rentalsto a homeowner's principal residence plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit.

The principal residence requirement comes into effect on May 1 and applies to all municipalities with a population of 10,000 people or more. Local governments can "opt out" of it annually if their community had a rental vacancy rate of three per cent or more for two consecutive years.

Data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) shows Prince George had a vacancy rate of 3.7 per cent in 2022 and 2.8 per cent in 2023 disqualifying it from an exemption.

Coun. Kyle Sampson said the criteriato qualify for an exemption are arbitrary and don't take into accountdifferences between municipalities.

"Every city in B.C. is different," Sampson said during Monday's council meeting.

"[The province] hasn't shown a lot of facts about why three per cent why not an average over a number of years?"

Coun. Brian Skakun toldCBC's Daybreak Norththat the regulationswouldhurt the city, which hosts many people who look for short-term rentals.

"We have health-care workers that come in for maybe a week, sometimes weekends for emergencies, construction workersthose who comefor hospice care, they rely on these short-term rentals," he said.

According to the province, more thanentire 16,000 homesare being used for short-term rentals formost ofthe year, affecting the province's long-term rental market.

"Many local governments have taken action to regulate short-term rentals, but enforcement of bylaws is a challenge, and they have asked the province for more tools and resources," the province said in a statement released this month.

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Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon says news rules to regulate short-term rentals in B.C. are meant to target short-term rental hosts with multiple listings, often for homes where they don't live.

Skakun said the province is forcingregulations "down our throats."

"We are going to put up a good fight [with the province] and we think it's important," he said.

City councillors from Pentictonin the Okanagan Valleypassed a motion to challenge the legislation last month.

The council voted 52 to askthe province to further consider "Penticton's unique economy and the role that short-term rentals play in supporting its tourism industry."

In Parksville on Vancouver Island, a group of property owners are lobbying against short-term rental legislation.

Resort Drive Advocacy Group is composed of a number of vacation homeowners in the city's Resort Drive area, a zone that was purpose-built to accommodate short-term tourists and vacationers.

Judy Thomas, one of the members of the group and owner of Seastar Vacation Rentals, says the move will dampen tourism in the area.

"All of our guests that are currently booked for the summerwill no longer be able to come and stay inParksville," Thomas told CBC News.

"[Resort Drive] has never been part of the regular housing stockthey've always been for people to come enjoy this beautiful community and contribute to Parksville tourist dollars."

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Airbnb spokesperson Nathan Rotman says B.C.'s legislation to restrict short-term rentals will not address the housing crisis, and also make travel less affordable for people coming to and travelling within B.C.

B.C. Premier David Eby has previously indicated he is not sympathetic to owners who rent out multiple units on platforms such asAirbnb.

"The bottom line is when people own multiple condos and are renting them out as private hotels in our province when we are desperate for long-term housing for people, it's just not acceptable. So we're going to deal with it," Eby said last October.

Local governments thatmeet the requirements to opt out have until Feb. 29 to file a resolution to the province.

Dawson Creekhas submitted a resolution to optout. It is just one of a handful of municipalities that meet provincial requirements to opt out, along with neighbouring Fort St. John.

In an email to CBC News, the province said municipalities "will be updated on the status of their opt-out requests once spring regulations of each opt-out have been established."