Correspondence - Diane Fownes regarding Hotel/Short Term Rental Ban

Fwd: Hotel/ short term rental ban

From: Diane Fownes
Sent: June 17, 2026 10:52 PM
To: Mayor And Council Email mayorandcouncil@viewroyal.ca
Subject: Fwd: Hotel/ short term rental ban

Mayor and council,

I was interested to read that View Royal Council is looking at offering a revitalization tax exemption for as long as 10 years as a way to encourage new hotel development.

The staff report suggests the municipality is prepared to give up a considerable amount of potential tax revenue because increasing visitor accommodation is seen as beneficial for the local economy.

What I find difficult to reconcile is that the same council continues to enforce a complete prohibition on principal-residence short-term rentals.

Hotels and short-term rentals are clearly different types of accommodation and serve different markets. Still, both provide places for visitors to stay. If expanding accommodation options is important enough to warrant substantial tax incentives for hotel projects, it seems fair to ask why owner-occupied short-term rentals have no role whatsoever in that discussion.

The report also notes that decisions to build hotels are influenced by factors such as construction costs, financing conditions, profitability, and overall market economics. Given those realities, it is worth asking whether a limited number of homeowners renting out part of their principal residence is truly a significant barrier to hotel investment in View Royal.

People will naturally have differing opinions about short-term rentals, and reasonable arguments can be made on both sides. What is less clear is why one form of visitor accommodation is being promoted through tax incentives while another remains entirely off the table.

That difference in approach is something council should explain to the public. I request that this letter be put on the agenda for an open council meeting .

Diane Fownes
Sent from my iPhone