Notice of Special Council Meeting/Education Session Pertaining to Prosecution of Short-Term Rental Accommodation under the Township's Comprehensive Zoning By-law 97-95

Oro-Medonte Council will be holding a hybrid Special Council Meeting/Education Session pertaining to enforcement/prosecution matters relating to Short Term Rental Accommodations (STRs) under the Township of Oro-Medonte Comprehensive Zoning By-law 97-95, on October 16, 2024 commencing at 4:30 p.m.  The public is invited to attend in person or virtually.

The purpose of the meeting is to inform Council on the challenges of prosecuting STRs using Zoning By-law provisions.  Although this is an education session for members of Council, the public are welcome to attend in person or virtually, and ask questions with advanced registration either on-line or in person at the meeting.

If you wish to ask questions by participating virtually, please visit Public Participation | Township of Oro-Medonte to access the Request for Public Participation Form. A meeting link will be provided to you in advance. If your preference is to ask questions/participate in the meeting in person, registration will be accommodated in the Council Chamber prior to commencement of the meeting. Please note in person attendance is subject to capacity limitations within the Council Chamber.

The Township will livestream this Special Council Meeting/Education Session over the internet for public viewing through the Township’s YouTube Channel. This will give you the opportunity to observe the proceedings of the meeting. The meeting will be available on the Township’s YouTube Channel following conclusion for viewing at a later time.

It has been the Township’s position that STRs are only permitted in certain zone categories.  The Township’s Zoning By-law No. 97-95 permits STRs in Village Resort Commercial within the Village (V1) and Residential Two, exception 123 (RS-123) Zones.  They are not permitted in other residential zones.  Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) Decision OLT-22-002196, supported by Divisional Court Decision DC-23-00001394 rescinded By-law No. 2020-073, which attempted to introduce a definition of Commercial Accommodation to the Zoning By-law to supplement the current language in the By-law.

In rescinding the By-law amendment, the OLT suggested that the existing language in the Zoning By-law was sufficient to prosecute commercial short term rentals operating in residential zones. The intent of the education session is to provide experiential accounts by two subject matter experts regarding the use of Zoning By-laws as an enforcement tool along with other regulatory considerations.

Paul Dray, a prosecutor with more than 35 years of experience in prosecuting Provincial offense matters before the Courts on behalf of municipalities, will speak to Council on his experiences with STR prosecutions. Gerald Spencer, Manager of Municipal Law Enforcement, City of Niagara Falls, will speak regarding challenges the City of Niagara Falls experienced using its Zoning By-law as a STR enforcement tool, and the steps the City took to enforce STRs in their community.

View the meeting notice.