Watson talks short-term rentals, arenas

Douro-Dummer Township mayoral hopeful opposes ‘commercialization of neighbourhoods’

Enforcement, taxation and licensing are three avenues Douro-Dummer Township mayoral hopeful Heather Watson plans to explore ways to rein in nuisance-causing short-term rentals.

The issue, a hot-button topic that municipalities across the country are grappling with, was among several topics discussed during a recent town hall meeting at the Douro Community Centre hosted by Watson, the township’s current councillor for Douro Ward.

Commonly heard concerns about Airbnb-style rentals — from partying and noise complaints to parking and garbage issues — were heard.

In a later interview with The Examiner, Watson noted that not all rental operators are the same.

“We talked about how there’s two sides to that coin,” Watson said.

“There are definitely operators that are effectively running hotels in neighbourhoods, but then there’s also other short-term rental hosts that are still living in their homes and they’re renting out rooms, or a cabin on a rural property … using them to augment their income.”

Ultimately, Watson says she opposes the “commercialization of neighbourhoods.”

“In the short-term, we as a municipality need to tighten up our nuisance bylaw,” she said. “Then the questions come up: who’s going to pay for the enforcement?”

That’s when taxation — specifically an accommodation tax — would be a beneficial tool, she said.

Watson’s final piece of the puzzle, licensing, would help separate bylaw-abiding operators from irresponsible ones, she said. Annual licence renewals would allow the municipality to ensure hosts are following rules and regulations, she said.

Questions also arose about the township’s two existing, single ice pad arenas — Douro Community Centre and Warsaw Community Centre — and what the municipality can do to improve its recreational facilities to meet the needs of the community.

Douro Minor Hockey, a large user group, is suggesting the municipality could potentially operate more efficiently if a second ice surface was added to the Douro Community Centre, making it a twin-pad arena, according to Watson.

“Someone also suggested that if, perhaps, we can’t keep ice at the Warsaw Community Centre — if the feasibility doesn’t make sense to do that — we could look at putting in an indoor turf space where people can play soccer in the wintertime; walk tracks and do other recreational activities there.”

Those possibilities are part of a broader question: how can the township make the best use of the Warsaw facility if all the ice is located at one location, the Douro Community Centre?

“I’ve been working with a group of volunteers from Douro Minor Hockey and the community to see if that is what the rest of the community is interested in so we can start building some sort of plan for not just the Douro Community Centre but the Warsaw Community Centre, where we’re able to operate more efficiently; modernize those operations and serve the community well,” Watson said.

“If we can expand the ice, putting in a twin pad and do it in a way where there’s a good business case for it, the demand is there and we’re able to sustain it and get some return on that investment, then it’s something that I would support.”

On the issue of the environment and climate change, including extreme weather events such as the derecho experienced regionally on May 21, Watson pledged to follow a similar proactive approach.

She said she will make efforts to support the introduction of tiny homes and the use of sustainable materials.