The Township of Seguin is requesting public input on Short Term Cottage Rentals (STCR) by Feb. 19, 2018. Announcement of a Public Meeting will come later and OLRA will keep its members informed.
Sequin Township is reviewing the concern with the commercial rental of cottage and lake front houses and it’s impact to the neighbouring residents and lake. Many Municipalities have or are in the process of addressing this burgeoning trend resulting from the advent of on-line services such as AirBnB
Your comments may be submitted:
- In written form by mail to 5 Humphrey Drive, Seguin, Ontario, P2A 2W8
- By e-mail to info@seguin.ca
- By fax to (705)-732-6347or;
- Hand delivered to the municipal office located at 5 Humphrey Drive, Seguin, Ontario, P2A 2W8
(download attached request for input here – STR – March 5-18 request for input
Here is some additional information you may want to consider regarding STCR that OLRA has confirmed through communication with Seguin staff and members of council.
1) Legal Status of STCR in Seguin Now
Steve Stone, Director of Planning and Development for Seguin confirmed what is in the report DPS-PL-2017-138 on page 2:
“…rental of a cottage for short term overnight guest accommodation is not a permitted land use activity in any of the Zones detailed in Zoning By-law 2006-125… Prosecution remains an option accordingly to the Township’s solicitor. “
2) Expected Cost To Seguin Taxpayers to Create a Cottage Rental Licensing Program
It is expected that a rental licensing program for Seguin would not be “self funding”. Some licensing fees would be collected, however they are expected to be insufficient to cover the additional costs to the Seguin tax payers of administering and enforcing such a program.
According to the OLRA survey in Nov. 2017, 96% of respondents said they do not rent their cottage.
OLRA will therefore NOT be supporting establishing such a rental licensing program which would potentially increase the tax burden for all to regulate the activity of only a few.
3) Who should one call with By-law issues or land use issues such as a STCR?
Here is the link:
https://www.seguin.ca/en/explore-play/enforcement.aspx
After Hours By-law Enforcement: A By-Law Officer(s) is on duty on weekends and after office hours so do call then too if you have an issue.
Please give your feedback to Seguin on this important issue by Feb. 19th. The more voices the better.
Your OLRA Board thanks you for your support!