Keeping the peaceful

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/08/2023 (828 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The lake plays such a huge part in this province’s culture that it has its own entry in the Encyclopedia of Manitoba.

Owning a lakeside cottage has long been part of the Manitoba dream for those seeking a rural retreat from gridlocked traffic, loud sirens and parking headaches, a few of the costs of living with big-city conveniences.

There have always been few degrees of separation between a Manitoban and a rustic hideaway.

Those who are unable to afford to buy a cabin or are unable to find the time or skills to maintain one could always phone a friend or relative who had a cottage and make arrangements to rent or borrow their place for some nirvana in nature.

Many purported advantages of urban life have meandered their way to the shores of Lake Winnipeg, Lake Manitoba, Whiteshell Provincial Park or countless other idyllic provincial settings over the past decades.

Many of them, such as satellite television to while away rainy evenings, are welcome additions.

Others have become less welcome, such as short-term cottage rentals, and some Manitoba municipalities are keen to stamp them out like the dying ashes of a campfire, or are at least trying to regulate them in a similar way as cities have done.

Homeowners in Winnipeg know they’re not allowed to convert their residence into a full-time business, such as a bakery or restaurant, because their property isn’t zoned for commercial use. Most neighbourhoods aren’t designed for the extra traffic and parking a business requires.

Even small home businesses that transform a spare bedroom into office space and connect with clients virtually usually require a business licence to operate legally.

Short-term rentals in Manitoba’s cottage country, especially those listed regularly via online home-stay marketplaces such as Airbnb and Vrbo and welcome a new set of guests every weekend, have become businesses in their own right and ought to be treated similarly to any other commercial venture.

The growing prevalence of short-term rentals risks upsetting an equilibrium between Manitobans who live in the country and the influx of people seeking a rural refuge while bringing their city headaches, such as increased traffic, noisy lifestyles and parking problems to the lake along with their campers and boats.

Some municipal governments, such as Pinawa in eastern Manitoba, have shown zero-tolerance toward short-term rentals and have even sent bylaw officers to try stamp them out.

The Municipality of Harrison Park, which governs a district on the southern boundary of Riding Mountain National Park, took the regulation route in 2022, enacting a bylaw to help keep the region from being overrun by short-term rental visitors who pay no heed to their temporary neighbours.

Its bylaw demands existing short-term rental operators to apply for a $200 licence from the municipality, which, once approved, would limit the number of guests and parking spaces for a rental, among other restrictions. New rental operators must apply for conditional-use zoning, which would require the council’s approval, as well as the $200 licence.

The Association of Manitoba Municipalities will discuss short-term rentals in November at its annual conference, where it will vote on lobbying the provincial government to enact Manitoba-wide legislation.

There’s no reason to wait until then to put pressure on provincial politicians on the matter.

The upcoming Manitoba election, which is to take place on or before Oct. 3, offers an ideal forum to discuss short-term rentals and create province-wide regulations that would include effective enforcement of the law as a way to keep the peace in places that are meant to be peaceful.