Ivan Radic / CC
A draft bylaw regulating short-term rentals in Georgian Bluffs should come before township council in June.
Staff provided an update to councillors during a committee of the whole meeting Wednesday on the township’s work to implement a short-term rentals licensing system.
Deputy CAO Brittany Drury says the licensing platform — provided by a third-party — should be ready for a soft launch in September. And Georgian Bluffs’ new scheme requiring operators of Airbnbs and other short-term rental units to register for a licence will be fully implemented by January 2025.
“For 2024, staff have worked with our partners … to release a 24/7 complete hotline that will be online and active as of the May holiday weekend to serve the community throughout peak season of this year,” Drury explains.
Councillors unanimously approved two recommendations in committee Wednesday, directing staff to bring forward a draft STA bylaw and to outsource enforcement to James Special Services.
Drury’s report says the township’s bylaw will require operators to provide site and floor plans, submit to inspections and have an occupancy limit. It will also establish an appeal process, granting a committee power to revoke and reinstate licenses.
Last year, councillors were told noise monitoring devices could be a requirement for operators as well in Georgian Bluffs’ STA bylaw.
But Drury’s report says that’s been removed from the township’s plans after discussion with its legal representation.
“I was happy to hear the noise monitoring notion was removed,” says Georgian Bluffs councillor Cathy Moore Coburn. “Because I thought that could have a host of difficulties. I think that was a good move on staff’s part.”