Editor:
During the most recent consultation process on short term rental housing (STR), the District of Sechelt identified neighbourhood fit as its main priority. Supporting local tourism and enabling supplemental income were at the bottom of the list. The community survey confirmed strong public support for these rankings.
The negative effects of STRs could be reduced in a number of ways. Limits could be placed on the number of vacation rentals and the size of each unit. Eliminating clusters of STRs would ensure that no resident is dealing with multiple problems. Capping the number of consecutive days or total rental days would provide relief from noise and other issues. Requiring an operator who lives onsite would be highly effective.
Sechelt council recognized each of these possibilities. Which ones did it choose? None. Some of them weren’t even included in the survey. Very large unsupervised STRs will continue to be allowed on a daily basis. Not as many as before, but that will be no consolation to the people who will continue to have their quality of life adversely impacted by these de facto hotels.
These decisions have been made contrary to the clear and consistent input from our community associations. The advice of the hired professional consultants, to prohibit unsupervised STRs, has also been ignored. The District has not been true to its stated objectives. Business interests are the clear winners, not our neighbourhoods.
Slogans such as “Have Your Say” and “What We Heard” ring hollow when the feedback is ignored. It undermines faith not only in Sechelt’s current elected officials but government in general.
Richard Carton, Sechelt
