Editor:
I am writing to appeal to our community and council to find a solution to the STR issue.
As a community member and business owner for 14 years, I have watched tourism grow here on the Sunshine Coast, and applauded the support in our community. It has been lovely to meet tourists from all over the world and have them experience where we are privileged to live, work, and play. As a tourist myself several years ago, I am one of many current residents who came here to recreate, and later moved here to make a life.
Presently, I am concerned about the health and well-being of the residents who live in Sechelt, and who are subjected to the stress and anxiety that comes with living near a short-term rental. For those of you who are not in this situation, you only have to reflect upon your own habits when you go on vacation to understand what residents are currently going through. We go on vacation to get away from our daily lives. We tend to overindulge and stay up later than we should. That is OK; it is a vacation, a reprieve from the ordinary, and a chance to unwind and have fun.
The challenge with the current STR situation is that the residents who live beside many of the rentals are subjected to this “vacation behaviour” every day. Our community members are experiencing anxiety, not knowing who is coming or going, how loud they will be, and how late they will stay up. The worst I have seen are residents who stay inside on beautiful days because they feel overwhelmed and angry. There is, as many of us have experienced, an erosion of neighbourhoods.
We are a community of people who care about each other, and the people who come to visit. Let’s find a way to address this health and well-being issue with these values in mind. Let’s work together to find solutions to continue to welcome tourists, while supporting our fellow residents. We can do this, Sechelt. I know we can.
Lydia Watson, Sechelt
