Georgian Bluffs township hall exterior. (file photo)
Georgian Bluffs is taking a number of steps to regulate short-term rentals, and council wants to do more.
Township council passed a motion at its meeting on Wednesday to direct staff to bring back a report in June regarding a registration program for short-term rentals in Georgian Bluffs.
That was in addition to several recommendations adopted by council to deal with short-term rentals. The township plans to procure a short-term accommodation software and services package to assist in tracking activity in the market.
Georgian Bluffs will also hire seasonal by-law enforcement to allow for a more proactive approach to enforcement. A new nuisance by-law was also passed.
Coun. Cathy Moore Coburn: “We know we have these short-term rentals in our community. We know that they’re causing folks grief. They are causing our by-law enforcement a lot of hours, and time, and cost.”
Several councillors were pushing for the creation of a registry or licensing program for short-term rentals in Georgian Bluffs.
Township CAO Cynthia Fletcher says staff needs time to provide more information on a potential program, and to fully examine policies and resources that would be involved.
“This is a big issue for our township. This is a whole new line of business for us to get into. And this is a whole new level of service and we need to tackle it,” Fletcher says. “But I would like to tackle it properly.”