Minden Hills council, at its Aug. 8 meeting, did not finalize what to do with short-term rentals on unowned shore road allowances.
Manager of the planning department, Amanda Dougherty, brought back a report after council sought clarification on what to do with STRs operating where they do not own the shore road allowance. She said all structures required a license of occupation, not just where people were staying and sleeping, but for things such as docks.
Coun. Tammy McKelvey said she thought they were only going to make people do licences of occupation, with an intent to purchase, if the actual building being slept in for the STR is on the shore road allowance.
“I think we’re adding a lot of cost here to a short-term rental… I was only willing to do this if the actual building they’re sleeping in was there,” she said.
Mayor Bob Carter said the County sought a legal opinion, and were told they should include other structures.
McKelvey said she didn’t think it was right if just a dock or gazebo were on the allowance.
Bylaw officer Paula Ingram said she preferred including any building or structure for liability reasons. Dougherty said Algonquin Highlands is dwelling-only, Dysart “all buildings” and Highlands East “all buildings and structures.”
In a recorded vote, council defeated the all buildings and structures option (McKelvey, councillors Ivan Ingram, Shirley Johannessen and Bob Sisson voted against).
The bylaw officer said they could change to dwelling-only, but there is liability with structures adjacent to the water. She added the insurance portion of it could change to “if there’s any structures on our shore road allowance… the certificate of insurance has to be on all buildings.”
Coun. Pam Sayne supported that change, saying the wording could protect the municipality from a lawsuit. “We are not going to be responsible for peoples’ guests on their docks.”
McKelvey said the municipality could be added as an insurer for other buildings and structures. Dougherty said they could also charge a $150 license of occupation fee for other buildings and structures.
McKelvey was in favour.
Sayne would have preferred keeping it as originally presented, for all buildings. “If you have a short-term rental, it’s considered a business, and so you have to invest in that business and protect your interests. Our municipality shouldn’t be taking the load off of those businesses with our revenues and our liabilities… so there’s a lot of good reasons for not only the STR people to purchase that property, but also for that to be purchased so the municipality isn’t liable.” Staff will go back and amend the bylaw and return to a future meeting.
