AirBnBs Prohibited in Mayor's Neighbourhood
STRs to be banned in one particular part of town.
One of the most controversial bylaws to be debated at West Nipissing city council in the new year is going to be the Short-Term Rental (AirBnB) regulations.
The push to regulate this industry appears to be led by mayor Kathleen Thorne-Rochon who has advocated personally to restrict AirBnBs in West Nipissing long before becoming mayor. Multiple sources have informed me that this was due to personal disputes that her family may have had with neighbours in the years leading up to her mayoral race.
The original Short-Term Rental (STR) bylaw published in September was already very strict on most West Nipissing property owners but a newly proposed amendment seeks to impose disproportionate restrictions on one neighbourhood in particular.
In the December 5th meeting agenda tucked away on page 329, is a proposed amendment that would make it illegal to have Short-Term Rentals in any “Provincially Significant Wetlands (PSW)”.
This is a very interesting provision that no other municipality has adopted. In the December 5th package, no rationale is provided for adding this restriction.
The Ontario government has no laws or restrictions preventing AirBnBs from operating on PSW lands as long as the original homes are in compliance with building regulations. But West Nipissing plans on targeting property owners who happen to live in such an area.
According to West Nipissing’s zoning map, this is the area that would be off limits to Short-Term Rentals. Specifically the land around the Cache Bay.
Precisely where Thorne-Rochon lives and has purportedly had neighbourhood disputes . Thorne-Rochon has not kept the fact that she lives on lake Nipissing private. She has posted about it frequently on social media. Her photos indicate that her residence is one of the few situated along the shoreline of the Cache Bay.
Last week, I emailed Thorne-Rochon for clarification on this bizarre amendment.
Although she did not deny being involved in this proposal, she stated that she would not release any communication on the matter of STRs until a request for investigation with the Integrity Commissioner was filed.
Last month I reported on a presentation Thorne-Rochon made to the West Nipissing Planning Advisory Committee a year before running to become mayor, where she strongly advocated against AirBnBs.
She told that committee that “STA (Short-Term Accomodations) are detrimental to the character of neighborhoods…”
The latest proposed amendment seems to further indicate that she may have been speaking of the unique character of her own neighbourhood.
West Nipissing Council is set to continue debating these proposed new regulations in the coming months. The rising level of conflicts of interest on this topic will complicate the proceedings.
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Good or bad the government of Ontario has loosened up its wetlands building regulations. This may be in response to the need for immediate housing and pressure from the Federal government. But for the West Nipissing Mayor to cite this as her major concern to prevent her neighbours from renting out their properties is absurd! There are other wetland access areas in West Nipissing that apparently are not equally protected by the mayor's concern for conservation! Municipal regulations must be clear and non-discriminatory, and, the mayor should not be seen as using her office for her own interests. https://www.mannlawyers.com/resources/ontario-proceeds-with-changes-to-wetland-evaluation/
Unfortunately this new mayor seems to be set on destroying tourism. Sad.