ONTARIO, CANADA'S.... LAKESIDE TOWNS PUSH TO LICENCE SHORT TERM RENTALS

By Chandrayee Roy Choudhury, Canada

There's a growing movement among Ontario lakeside communities to push back against short-term rental services, such as Airbnb and VRBO, that some say are disrupting the social fabric of their close-knit rural communities to the point where it could upend their way of life. 

The Municipality of Lambton Shores is the latest to look at more stringent regulations for the beach communities of Port Franks, Ipperwash and Grand Bend, when council reviewed a draft bylaw on Tuesday to license short-term rentals, put a cap on occupancy at 10 people per dwelling and create a 24/7 hotline for locals to report nuisance parties.

Port Stanley, a beach town on Lake Erie's shore that's part of Central Elgin municipality, is also considering a bylaw and recently voted 4-3 to study the issue to hopefully have a licensing scheme in place next year.