I think Highlands East council blew it last week with a change to its short-term rental map.
Shortly after implementing STR licensing, Haliburton County municipalities adopted interactive GIS dashboards to map them. These maps publicly display the location, address, and in some cases, the contact details of permitted cottage rentals. Highlands East erred on the side of caution, having a dashboard that only has an address and licence number.
Last week, though, council – largely driven by deputy mayor Cec Ryall and councillors Ruth Strong and Angela Lewis – voted to allow STR operators to opt out of the public tracking map.
By doing so, they went against a staff recommendation. And why not? After all, municipal councillors know more than their highly-educated staff, don’t they? Insert sarcasm here.
STR licensing clerk and enforcement officer, Stacey Brown, said there was strong public interest in the dashboard. It was the 11th most visited page on the website, with 2,181 views since Sept. 16, 2025. Folks are averaging engagement time of one minute, topping the site average.
Brown encouraged council to keep the dashboard, since residents use it to flag unlicensed operators. She added that privacy concerns from hosts represented a very small portion when compared to the broader public interest. And, there has been no evidence that thieves are targeting these STRs.
However, some STR owners have gotten into some councillors’ ears. Hence, the suggestion people can opt into the map, rather than it being mandatory.
And, yet, under The Municipal Act, townships are allowed to post licence details on their websites. Many cottage country municipalities, such as Tiny Township, Huntsville, Ramara, Bracebridge and Lake of Bays have dashboards they have not watered down due to STR operator complaints.
If someone opts out… what does that mean for the travelling public, who want to confirm the STR they are intending to book has a valid licence? How do other residents have a resource to know whether or not a STR being operated in their neighbourhood is licensed and in compliance with the requirements for fire safety, parking, and septic capacity? How can prospective purchasers in a neighbourhood or lake know if there are any, or many STRs, in the area before buying?
Sure, some STR operators don’t want the information to be pubic. However, Privacy Commissioners Office (IPC) decisions have long recognized information required for business licensing is not considered private or personal, even if that business relates to the individual’s dwelling. These folks are making thousands of dollars every summer on these rentals. They are businesses, so why should they have the right to opt out of declaring that publicly?
Land ownership information in Ontario is not private information, and can be accessed via the Ontario Land Registry Office, and people can look at roll books at township offices for MPAC ownership information for free.
Highlands East staff believe disclosing the locations of licensed STR accommodations foster trust and transparency in neighbourhoods where these operations are situated. Besides, if people are properly licensed, you’d think they’d want the address public for promotion.
At the end of day these people have applied for essentially, a business licence to operate. If they don’t want their name on the map, they don’t have to get a licence.
Highlands East has just become the first municipality in the County to make public mapping voluntary for licensed hosts. We urge them to reconsider. And we implore the other three townships to not follow suit.
