West Nipissing council continues to work on a new by-law to govern short term rentals, the kind most often listed on sites like Airbnb and Vrbo.
“Staff had a good chat with other departments with respect to a variety of different issues” regarding the draft by-law, Jay Barbeau, West Nipissing’s Chief Administrative Officer explained to council. Specifically, Barbeau mentioned staff spoke with the Chief Building Official, By-Law Officer, and Fire Chief about the new by-law.
“Creating a by-law that balances the needs of the community for accommodations while keeping in mind that the use and enjoyment of full-time resident’s personal property is tantamount,” Melanie Ducharme, West Nipissing’s Municipal Clerk / Planner emphasized in a memo to council.
Council and staff began working on the by-law in September and held public consultations in October. Feedback was gathered, and in December, the issue returned to council for further discussion.
See: West Nipissing could limit licenses for short term rentals
The end is in sight, as Barbeau mentioned the process is very close to completion. He suggested forming an ad-hoc committee with council members and staff to complete “the final details” before it returns to council.
Councillor Anne Tessier, who chairs the Planning Committee, agreed to join the committee. As did Councillor Kaitlynn Nicol, who represents Ward 5 which has a lot of residents “who are affected by short term rentals,” noted Mayor Kathleen Thorne Rochon.
The draft by-law is expected to return to council in February.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
