Letter to the editor
MLA Scott McInnis has received some attention in the East Kootenays for denouncing the provincial STR (short-term rental) Registry and associated fees, calling it a “shakedown” and claiming it’s unnecessary since STR operators are already required to register with local governments.
What MLA McInnis fails to acknowledge is the failure of local governments to effectively regulate STRs. For example, the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) introduced a Temporary Use Permit (TUP) policy in mid 2023, intended to regulate the estimated 1,300 STRs operating in the region at the time. Two years later, only about 138 TUPs have been issued—roughly 10 per cent of the total number of illegal STRs operating in violation of RDEK zoning bylaws when the policy was implemented.
The RDEK’s efforts have been insufficient. Despite a grace period and enforcement support from a third-party contractor, many STR operators continue to operate without permits. This lack of meaningful enforcement has allowed unregulated STRs to persist.
Given this failure, the provincial STR Registry is a welcome and necessary initiative to help rein in the unchecked spread of STRs in our communities. Beginning May 1, STR platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO will be required to remove listings that do not have a valid provincial registration number. To obtain this number, operators must prove compliance with local bylaws. I, for one, look forward to the delisting of the 1,000-plus STRs that never bothered to apply for a TUP and are therefore ineligible for registration.
Ironically, the real “shakedown” occurred when local governments introduced business licences and TUPs that effectively legalized STRs in areas where zoning previously prohibited them. These policies, under the guise of regulation, created a bureaucratic rubber-stamp process that legitimized STRs if basic criteria were met. Public comments on these applications are often ignored, and concerned neighbours must file Freedom of Information requests just to view the application details—adding yet another barrier to community input.
It’s unclear what MLA McInnis hopes to achieve by siding with STR operators—many of whom are not even local voters—at the expense of long-term residents who are bearing the brunt of the housing crisis and the impacts to quality of life from unruly STRs in residential zones.
Every week we see families pleading on social media for long-term rentals or starter homes so they can live and work in the valley they love. MLA McInnis does not provide any evidence of the positive impacts of STRs to the economy and other letters to the editor have already noted that STR guests show up with their own food and alcohol versus patronizing our local retailers and restaurants. It’s hard to comprehend how STR guests would better support local business than those same homes occupied by full-time families who live, work and shop in the community year-round.
Instead of defending an industry that drains housing from our communities and funnels money to U.S.-based tech giants like Airbnb and Expedia (which owns VRBO) and out of province STR investors, MLA McInnis would better serve his constituents by advocating for reforms to the Residential Tenancy Act to make long-term renting more attractive for landlords, or by supporting funding that enables local governments to develop housing and utilities for full-time residents and sustainable business growth – maybe even new hotels in commercial zones.
At a time of economic uncertainty, we should be supporting our communities—not sending more revenue across the border. Like many who regret voting for Trump, I now regret voting for MLA McInnis.
David Bocking, Area F
