Airbnb ranks Victoria among most popular places in Canada for remote workers
With the COVID-19 pandemic changing the landscape of working conditions across North America, Airbnb says more and more people are looking to travel and work at the same time.
On Wednesday, the company highlighted some of the most popular places to stay in Canada for remote workers who are looking for a long-term place to stay.
Victoria saw the fifth highest number of long-term bookings of any city in Canada in the first fiscal quarter of 2022, according to Airbnb.
Toronto was the most popular choice, followed by Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary, respectively.
Meanwhile, Victoria was considered the fifth "best equipped" city for long-term remote workers, based on the amount of long-term stay listings available for travellers.
Victoria wasn't the only island community to be put in the spotlight Wednesday.
Airbnb says Nanaimo was considered the third most-hospitable city for long-term stays in Canada, based on its per cent of five-star reviews.
Approximately 87.1 per cent of travellers at long-term accommodations in Nanaimo gave the city's hosts five star reviews, the highest percentage in B.C.
Nanaimo was beat only by Halifax, with 92.6 per cent, and Winnipeg with 87.7 per cent.
A welcome sign in Nanaimo, B.C., is pictured. (CTV News)
HOUSING CRISIS
With affordable housing a top concern for many Canadians, particularly in B.C., the popularity of Airbnbs in Victoria may not be welcome news to some.
Last month, the City of Victoria told CTV News it was investigating hundreds of potentially unlicensed Airbnbs.
Under city bylaws, short-term rental licences can only be awarded to homeowners under specific conditions.
Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said that 410 investigations into unlicensed short-term rentals were underway in early June.
She hoped that those investigations would lead to fines, noting that in 2021four cases about unlicensed short-term rentals went to court and led to $20,000 in fines and five people being banned from operating their rentals.
Helps said she'd like to see more support from other municipalities, the province, and Airbnb to help curb the number of unlicensed short-term rentals, as B.C. wrestles with housing affordability.
"We've used the full extent of our authority," Helps said at the time.
"We know we're in a crisis. We cracked down on this five years ago before there was a crisis, and we're using all of our tools in our tool box," she said.
With files from CTV News Vancouver Island's Eric Lloyd
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.