I think it’s so disheartening to see the city fighting against the Airbnb legislation so hard. When people own homes specifically for short term rentals, those are usually what we would consider starter homes.
Those homes are:
1. Not contributing to the long term rental market
2. Not available to be purchased by first-time home owners (you know, the people that usually want to buy a starter home)
I went to UNBC and would love to buy a house and settle down here but it is extremely difficult. We are currently in a housing crisis while people are hoarding homes as investments. Even *if* there were professionals coming to town that relied on short term rentals, they’re not completely going away! Airbnbs can still exist in primary properties. We also have a plethora of hotels in Prince George. It is SO frustrating to see council put the hypothetical needs of temporary workers ahead of the people living in Prince George. Yet another reason why students do not stay in Prince George after graduating.
"It is SO frustrating to see council put the hypothetical needs of temporary workers ahead of the people living in Prince George. Yet another reason why students do not stay in Prince George after graduating."
I know...it's a incredibly bizarre position to take. These folks they claim to be fighting for literally do not pay taxes or live in Prince George.
Local politicians often leave much to be desired, but their unanimous position on this topic is completely baffling.
I would really love feedback from health practitioners traveling to the region and seeking short or medium term lodging, or even Northern Health. Ancedotaly, I know someone in a remote town who leases their home to Northern Health on year long rental terms for doctors' to stay in. So it seems NH already has an alternative housing policy in place? At least in that instance. (I'll note that the town does have a healthy stock of airbnbs as well, so it's not because that's NH's only option in the area). Likewise, in all my time travelling for work, I'm always put in a hotel. I'm a bit confused that airbnb is suddenly purported to be the only option for work and travel when, once again ancedotaly, I have not found that to be the case in the last five years, and it certainly was never the case in the 1990s and 2000s when people were still travelling to Prince George for shopping, work, and services. My dad was posted in PG for work several times at times ranging from a few days to 6+ months. There was never any handwringing about a lack of options then, and he even brought all four of his kids once and we found a rental suite fine!
I do see Ron's point about families seeking medium term lodging when here for health services, which is serviced by airbnbs to a degree. But also, this law will not remove basement suites from the airbnb stock in PG, giving a full kitchen/multi room option for families wanting to be nearby to support relatives in treatment. It's not a sustainable solution though. I always thought Prince George should have a bigger Easter Seals/Ronald McDonald House system for families coming here for surgeries/the cancer clinic, especially as we are a growing hub for all sorts of health services. As someone who had to use Easter Seals system to access BC Children's, it is an incredible service, and extremely affordable (where else can you stay in Van for 30 dollars a night and have a full kitchen?). Now, I'm just a simple socialist, but I think our focus should be on non-profit organizations or government services that provide housing support for health related travel. Airbnb landlords act like they are providing a benevolent service, when in reality, they make a lot of passive income on the backs of families needing housing (for health reasons, and increasingly for wildfire evacuations). I think that's what's bugging me about this take so much. Sorry for the essay length comment.
I think it’s so disheartening to see the city fighting against the Airbnb legislation so hard. When people own homes specifically for short term rentals, those are usually what we would consider starter homes.
Those homes are:
1. Not contributing to the long term rental market
2. Not available to be purchased by first-time home owners (you know, the people that usually want to buy a starter home)
I went to UNBC and would love to buy a house and settle down here but it is extremely difficult. We are currently in a housing crisis while people are hoarding homes as investments. Even *if* there were professionals coming to town that relied on short term rentals, they’re not completely going away! Airbnbs can still exist in primary properties. We also have a plethora of hotels in Prince George. It is SO frustrating to see council put the hypothetical needs of temporary workers ahead of the people living in Prince George. Yet another reason why students do not stay in Prince George after graduating.
"It is SO frustrating to see council put the hypothetical needs of temporary workers ahead of the people living in Prince George. Yet another reason why students do not stay in Prince George after graduating."
I know...it's a incredibly bizarre position to take. These folks they claim to be fighting for literally do not pay taxes or live in Prince George.
Local politicians often leave much to be desired, but their unanimous position on this topic is completely baffling.
I would really love feedback from health practitioners traveling to the region and seeking short or medium term lodging, or even Northern Health. Ancedotaly, I know someone in a remote town who leases their home to Northern Health on year long rental terms for doctors' to stay in. So it seems NH already has an alternative housing policy in place? At least in that instance. (I'll note that the town does have a healthy stock of airbnbs as well, so it's not because that's NH's only option in the area). Likewise, in all my time travelling for work, I'm always put in a hotel. I'm a bit confused that airbnb is suddenly purported to be the only option for work and travel when, once again ancedotaly, I have not found that to be the case in the last five years, and it certainly was never the case in the 1990s and 2000s when people were still travelling to Prince George for shopping, work, and services. My dad was posted in PG for work several times at times ranging from a few days to 6+ months. There was never any handwringing about a lack of options then, and he even brought all four of his kids once and we found a rental suite fine!
I do see Ron's point about families seeking medium term lodging when here for health services, which is serviced by airbnbs to a degree. But also, this law will not remove basement suites from the airbnb stock in PG, giving a full kitchen/multi room option for families wanting to be nearby to support relatives in treatment. It's not a sustainable solution though. I always thought Prince George should have a bigger Easter Seals/Ronald McDonald House system for families coming here for surgeries/the cancer clinic, especially as we are a growing hub for all sorts of health services. As someone who had to use Easter Seals system to access BC Children's, it is an incredible service, and extremely affordable (where else can you stay in Van for 30 dollars a night and have a full kitchen?). Now, I'm just a simple socialist, but I think our focus should be on non-profit organizations or government services that provide housing support for health related travel. Airbnb landlords act like they are providing a benevolent service, when in reality, they make a lot of passive income on the backs of families needing housing (for health reasons, and increasingly for wildfire evacuations). I think that's what's bugging me about this take so much. Sorry for the essay length comment.