BarrieToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). This letter from Ray Kopylciw highlights the negative sides of short-term rental accommodation in Ontario.
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Many of us are living in an uncertain time these days as the world seems to have literally tilted off its axis even more. As humans, we have started to complain even more over the past years, which is our right.
Governments seem to be swimming in turmoil while just some elected politicians are trying to fix or make things better in a changing world. Some have failed miserably, making things worse. I'm going to touch on the elephant in the room — short-term rental accommodation (STRA), which is expanding without control and has caused many problems, not just here but worldwide, where these STRAs have been totally banned.
Let me touch on just one example. The ability to rent a property one owns or has bought for the sole purpose of renting out and creating an income source. No problem, if one rents their property, let's say on an annual yearly basis to people looking to live in full-time. It seems there are few government rules for STRA rental or any kind of government study on what other property owners who live permanently in homes, cottages, etc., might face from occasional or progressive disruptive one- or two-day rental properties.
We have heard all kinds of horror stories in the news media about STRA sites where even shootings have occurred. You could say they could also be used for many other illegal activities. The possibilities are there. Groups of young people can rent a large home in any residential neighbourhoods or cottage areas for a fractional cost to them. Large groups have a history of causing issues, as I'm sure police incident reports have shown.
Rent and party it up for a day or two, pay a premium price to the owner and off you go after disrupting people's lives and their health who live next door to these unsettling, disruptive kinds of commercial business. Many rental facilitators operate STRAs without caring about how they affect neighbours and neighbourhoods.
On the other hand, I have seen STRA operators running a tight STRA rental home or cottage renting to young responsible family types with children and not allowing large groups of disruptive partiers. That means no belligerence, loud mouth, foul speaking, loud thumping music, or drunken dopers are not allowed and need not apply or wanted in any neighbourhood. This is the problem that our weak politicians were afraid or incapable of tackling to safeguard citizens and our neighbourhoods from disruptive legal or illegal idiot renters or STRA owners.
Many municipalities and cottage country areas have slowly begun implementing so-called stringent bylaws to counter the negative effect of these STRAs and what their owners have brought to our once peaceful areas.
The Ontario government, with what seems to be a shameful legal system and processes, needs to step in immediately and stop this STRA chaos and its disrespectful practices.
Time to step up to the plate, Doug, Jill and Adam. I'm sure Doug Ford has had an earful of STRA complaints. Do something.
Many still want these STRA rental properties banned outright because of the problems and hardships they have caused to neighbours and are still causing in once quiet neighbourhoods. You would understand and agree if you lived beside an STRA.
Ray Kopylciw
Brechin
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