Dozens of property owners took to the podium yesterday to pan proposed new regulations on Short Term Rentals (STRs) in the Township of Muskoka Lakes.
During the six-hour public meeting held earlier this week in the Township office in Port Carling, Township staff laid out plans for an STR licensing system.
Robert Kennedy, the Muskoka Lakes chief municipal enforcement officer, told the gathered crowd, as well as the many who attended via Zoom, that there have been numerous municipal meetings on the subject of STRs dating back to 2016. Kennedy said based on Township investigations there were some 800 STRs operating in Muskoka Lakes as of March 2023, one of the highest ratios per capita in Ontario. Increasing concerns over issues like noise, smoke, overcrowding and lake safety led the Township to consider regulations, and ultimately the current draft bylaw.
Under the proposed system, STRs would apply for two-year licenses at $1,000.
The new rules would only allow properties to be rented for 50% of the summer and 50% of the remainder of the year. They would require a minimum seven-night stay in the summer and a minimum of three nights during the rest of the year.
Rentals of under 14 days per year will not fall under the licensing system.
The application would require a variety of information from the renter, including floor plans, photographs of the entranceway and front of the property, all of the advertising methods used and other information.
Renters would be required to distribute an information package to clients that includes a floor plan, information on emergency services and contact information for a responsible person.
Many people spoke both in favour and against the new rules, but the majority, many of whom operated STRs, were opposed.
“There should be no 50% during this time or that – no other bylaw in Muskoka has that restriction,” said Norah Fountain, executive director of the Muskoka Lakes Chamber of Commerce. “Your staff report noted that public input demonstrated, ‘a desire to ensure that any license application process not be burdensome.’ We think the draft measures don’t reflect that desire. Worse, some of them will harm our local economy and business community.”
Fountain said a particular problem is the minimum length of stay, which will hamper STR providers’ ability to provide accommodation during events like the Cranberry Festival and Oktoberfest.
“We applauded the fact that the Township wasn’t considering a ban. But the measures in this draft are so extreme that some are treating it like it is a ban –-and they’re already going underground with how they market and provide short stays,” she said. “Nobody wants that.”
STR owners emphasized that tight regulations will damage the local economy. Many said they have had few or no complaints over many years of operating STRs.
“In my nine years of business I have had one bylaw complaint on a property on Lake of Bays and that renter now owns property on Lake Joseph and continues to have loud parties,” said Jayne McCaw, the president of Jayne’s Cottages, who operate dozens of cottages across Muskoka and elsewhere. “These are repeat offenders from a small handful of negligent owners, usually about five or six owners, who are usually self-hosted on Airbnb. These owners are the 99.9% of our problems as they rent to anyone who will pay without regard for the neighbours and community.”
Several speakers said they rent out their property to help pay for upkeep, taxes and mortgages. They said the licensing fee and length of stay restrictions would greatly hamper their ability to maintain their property.
A common complaint was the issue was not STRs per se, but the lack of bylaw enforcement.
“You’re taking a sledgehammer to kill a mosquito,” said Earl Gardner, a Lake Rousseau cottager and renter. “(Renting) has allowed me to keep the family cottage, which I wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise.”
Some residents also spoke in favour of the new STR rules, citing concerns over a range of issues including fireworks, the feeding of wildlife and the loss of character of the area.
Laura Ender said STRs surround her property in Utterson and they have had guests throw their trash in hers, guests’ dogs constantly running through their property, and snowmobiles crossing their yard. Her complaints have “fallen on deaf ears,” she said.
She said while many residents are concerned over safety and septic issues, STR owners’ concerns seem strictly financial.
“The systematic issue they’re worried about is their bottom line but the majority are not concerned about their neighbours and their community,” she said.
Coun. Rob Bosomowrth told those in attendance that their feedback would be taken into consideration.
“No decision has been made. This is a draft bylaw and the final bylaw is very dependent on what we hear from you today. We all know this is going to be a challenging decision.”
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