by Tom Sasvari
KAGAWONG—A local resident who helps as an agent for cottage and bed and breakfast owners to rent out their buildings for short-term rental accommodations questioned why Billings township has a short-term rental accommodation bylaw in place and wants council to reverse this decision.
“I believe the previous council made a huge mistake by putting this bylaw in place,” stated Bill Concannon at a Billings council meeting last week. “I’ve researched this issue across the province and several places on Manitoulin Island. Why would council last year decide to put this bylaw in place. I would think get a similar answer from all municipal councils. Why would the township put in place a bylaw to solve something when there isn’t a problem?”
Mr. Concannon said in talking to the Billings bylaw enforcement officer about why the township put the bylaw in place was in part due to liability concerns, for example someone getting injured at a cottage.
Council passed the short-term accommodation bylaw last year as part of the township zoning bylaw. It allows people to operate short-term rental accommodations, however it comes with responsibility for property owners to pay a licence fee to operate a short-term accommodation much like other businesses do to operate, and it comes with proof of insurance to the township that the accommodation is in operation.
“I understand that no municipality has been sued successfully over something, like an accident that happens on a private property where someone for example falls off a deck at a private property,” said Mr. Concannon. “When I talked to a neighbouring municipality I asked about liability and was told if someone falls off a deck at a party on a private property that is being rented out the township can be sued for being liable. Are you kidding me? Liable for a party taking place and a person following off the deck and hurting themselves?”
Mr. Concannon said, “I believe council should spend as much time to see if the bylaw could be removed then it spent to have the bylaw passed.” He pointed out another municipality that he questioned on this type of bylaw they said one of the reasons they have such a bylaw in place is from noise complaints from such rentals. “How does the municipality know if the place where the noise was created is a short-term rental? I don’t see anything that give this any root.”
Mr. Concannon told council that he rents out cottages/houses for clients. “I charge them a percentage of the cost that they rent the cottage out for to take care of looking after the cottage for them. I have been doing this for five years on the Island,” he told council. “I have clients from all over—Toronto, Ohio—and trust me, I don’t allow just anyone to rent out one of these cottages. I vet out potential renters for my clients. These cottage owners can’t spend all their time at the cottage and the money they receive for renting out their place helps offset the rents they are paying in property taxes to the municipality.”
“None of my clients can rent out their cottage this year (in Billings) (because it would be in contravention of the bylaw),” he told council. “Whatever decision council makes, if council can’t see to change the bylaw then I would like to see a town hall meeting set up to hear the concerns people have. People are angry with this bylaw.”
Mayor Bryan Barker had told Mr. Concannon at the beginning of his presentation that council would not be responding directly to his questions at the meeting but would at a subsequent meeting.
