Victoria council on Thursday shot down the mayorB次元官网网址檚 attempt to seek a delay from the provinceB次元官网网址檚 crackdown on short-term rentals.

In a 5-3 vote, councillors rejected Mayor Marianne AltoB次元官网网址檚 motion that asked the province to delay the implementation of Bill 35 until November. That legislation comes into effect on May 1 and aims to stem the growing wave of homes being used as short-term rentals, through sites like Airbnb and VRBO.

Victoria council has been lobbied by property owners ever since to push against and water down the new rules.

Alto on March 14 said part of why she pursued the delay was because, while council has supported housing initiatives thus far in its term, an aspect of their job is B次元官网网址渢o look for balanceB次元官网网址� when responding to residentsB次元官网网址� competing interests.

The push for a delay comes after councillors were told last summer that hundreds of short-term rental operators were skirting the cityB次元官网网址檚 regulations through a number of creative tactics, and many werenB次元官网网址檛 getting their required licences. On Thursday, city staff characterized their experience of enforcing short-term operators by saying they see a B次元官网网址渉igh volume of non-compliance.B次元官网网址�

Coun. Stephen Hammond, who sponsored AltoB次元官网网址檚 motion, said Bill 35 would impact tourism if the May 1 date remained in place and argued the legislation was B次元官网网址減ulling the rug out from underB次元官网网址� law-abiding short-term rental operators. Coun. Marg Gardiner, who supported the motion alongside its sponsors, said owners are facing B次元官网网址渄iminished property rightsB次元官网网址� and the delay would give them more breathing room.

While Victoria already had a short-term rental bylaw, the provincial legislation impacts around 1,600 legal non-conforming units in the city. Legal non-conforming units are mainly condos in buildings that had grandfathered-in exemptions from the bylaw B次元官网网址� allowing them to enter the short-term market at any time unless the province amended its legislation.

Councillors opposing the motion said they had to side with those struggling to access housing in the city, which consistently ranks as one of the countryB次元官网网址檚 tightest and most expensive rental markets.

B次元官网网址淲e need to prioritize people over business,B次元官网网址� Coun. Krista Loughton said, adding far too many operators were abusing the existing system.

Coun. Matt Dell noted the majority on council ran on tackling the housing crisis in the last election and voters sent them to city hall to do just that. Supporting the motion would therefore send a strange signal to residents, he said.

B次元官网网址淚 was elected here to support housing for locals, for students.B次元官网网址�

The summer is an extremely important time as student leases tend to begin between May and September, the Univeristy of Victoria StudentsB次元官网网址� Society told this paper.

B次元官网网址淏y delaying the implementation of BCB次元官网网址檚 new legislation until November, the city of Victoria restricts potentially available housing to students,B次元官网网址� the society said. B次元官网网址淭his limits our options B次元官网网址� increasing prices, and potentially trapping renters in a bad situation, or even pushing them out of the housing market entirely.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲e are struggling for housing, and we cannot wait until a more convenient season to begin making the necessary changes.B次元官网网址�

Even if the motion was successful, B.C.B次元官网网址檚 housing minister signalled the province wouldnB次元官网网址檛 support a delay as he said most people would ask why initiating the new regulations was taking so long.

B次元官网网址淧eople are struggling and we need to make sure that housing is available for people right away in our communities,B次元官网网址� Ravi Kahlon said on March 13 when asked about the motion.

B次元官网网址淲e desperately need to provide more housing opportunities so we can attract the health-care workers, the teachers, the firefighters that we all need in our communities.B次元官网网址�

Responding to the new short-term rental measures after they were announced, VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 main tourism agency said it supported the legislation because new hotels are in the works and the accommodation sector can manage the volume of visitors without short-term rentals.

B次元官网网址淐ommercial transient accommodation is for travellers. Housing is for homes,B次元官网网址� Destination Greater Victoria CEO Paul Nursey said in an October statement to this paper.

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