This coastal B.C. community is cracking down on short-term rentals
A resort municipality on Vancouver Island is cracking down on the proliferation of short-term rentals in residential neighbourhoods as it grapples with a housing shortage.
Members of the Ucluelet, B.C., council voted earlier this month to amend a bylaw to limit new bed and breakfasts to three guestrooms per building and a maximum of two guests per room.
Guestrooms are prohibited from having fully equipped kitchenettes and guests must use the home's main door rather than a separate entry.
The amended bylaw also mandates that a bed and breakfast must be operated by the property's primary resident as the municipality hopes to promote the "traditional B&B" over short-term rentals on websites like Airbnb and Vrbo.
"Limiting the proliferation of B&Bs in residential neighbourhoods is one step that Ucluelet can take to improve housing access and affordability," the municipality says on its webpage explaining the bylaw changes.
Municipal leaders voted 3-2 in favour of the amendments during a special meeting of council on Sept. 6.
Ucluelet, which is 40 kilometres southeast of the popular tourist town of Tofino, B.C., has seen an explosion in online short-term rentals even as the region struggles to house its year-round residents and seasonal workers.
Many of those online rentals cropped up to exploit "a loophole into the commercial vacation accommodation market," according to the municipality.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
ArriveCan contractor to be admonished by MPs in extraordinarily rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archeological site in southwest France.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s sons have released a single together
A new Lennon and McCartney collaboration is the last thing anybody expected.