Innisfil Council is running out of patience for the estimated 1,000 homeowners across the town who haven't registered basement apartments and other second suites.
"We're going to lay charges quickly," Deputy Mayor Lynn Dolling said at a recent council meeting.
"People think they can get away with this, but we are going to be aggressive with enforcement."
Frustrated by the lack of compliance across the town since rules changed in 2014, council directed staff to spend up to $15,000 to update second-dwelling policies and prepared education materials.
Despite regulations, only 15 of an estimated 1,000 basement apartments and other units have been registered.
“You can take a horse to water, but you can’t force them to drink,” said manager of land use planning Tim Cane, supporting a strong focus on educating residents about the policies approved a year ago and the financial incentives for second units, such as the $1,000 building permit fee rebate and up to $25,000 in funding from the County of Simcoe.
Amendments approved last week include detached second units must not be more than 60 metres from the main home – the approximate length of a fire hose from Innisfil’s fire trucks – and temporary garden suites are allowed in rural areas.
Owner-occupied second-unit properties must renew registration every five years, and owners who do not live there must renew registration every three years.
“We recognize there’s a need for affordable housing,” said Ward 3 Coun. Donna Orsatti.
“There’s a safety concern. I like the use of zero tolerance for offenders.”
