Acknowledging “there’s been some hiccups, to say the least, along the way,” Minden Hills’ chief building official Eric Guay tabled a report to an Oct. 31 council meeting seeking approval for a staged approach to the new short-term rental bylaw.
Council passed its bylaw to regulate and govern the operation of STRs Sept. 12. Guay said staff have been working with Granicus Canada on implementation as the bylaw came into force Oct. 1. Granicus got the contract for monitoring and compliance.
“An essential role of the service contract was to provide an effective roll out to the STR registration and compliance program; however, the implementation has not progressed as originally anticipated,” Guay said.
“There have been implementation delays due to the vendor not being able to adequately meet the townships’ requirements.”
He noted that recently both Highlands East and Algonquin Highlands have adopted a staged approach to the roll out of their STR programs. “In a concerted effort to have continuity amongst the lower-tier municipalities regarding STR implementation, staff recommend that council adopt a similar implementation process,” Guay suggested.
He said stage one would be an implementation phase, until May 31, 2025, with a focus on education, voluntary compliance, and conditional approvals of licences. “The expectation will be that staff will work with operators to achieve compliance with all aspects (of the bylaw) during this time frame.”
He said enforcement will focus on potential hazards to occupants and neighbours, so anything of a health and safety risk, as well as environmental issues; things such as high-risk sewage systems, access for emergency service vehicles, fire threat, and building code issues.
Stage two would see active enforcement as of June 1, 2025. “All requirements pertaining to the bylaw will be enforced and all properties that remain non-compliant will have demerit points, administrative penalties applied, and will be subject to the issuance of orders to achieve compliance,” Guay said.
Mayor Bob Carter said he was “really troubled” by the June 1 date. “The number in my head is March 31. If you got me April 30, I could probably live with that.” However, he said he wanted the full court press to occur before the May 24 weekend.
Coun. Tammy McKelvey agreed, saying she’d like full enforcement to begin in the winter season to ensure renters “here to enjoy the winter season are safe.” And Coun. Ivan Ingram also preferred a March 31 date. The majority of councillors directed staff towards that date.
CAO Cynthia Fletcher said between now and then, “the program is not stopping. We are taking applications, having conversations with operators, we need some time for staff and community members to have an education and adjustment period.” At the same time, she said there would be enforcement for “egregious non-compliance.”
Council received the report for information only.
AH starts short-term rental licenses
The registration and licensing system for the Township of Algonquin Highlands’ shortterm rental bylaw went live Nov. 1.
It is available to residents through the shortterm rentals page of the Algonquin Highlands website, where you can also access the bylaw and its associated documents. Under the bylaw, residents who operate short-term rentals must register them with the township and obtain an operating licence.
The page also contains staff contact information. AH planning and bylaw staff are available to answer questions and help guide residents through the registration process.
