In an effort to provide clarity, the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Board of Directors has made minor amendments to its Short-Term Rental (STR) Temporary Use Permit (TUP) Policy.
“As is the case with any new policy, it is important to review and make changes as required to ensure the policy is as effective as possible,” explains RDEK Board Chair Rob Gay. “The Board has amended our current policy to increase application fees and allow a maximum of 10 people per parcel for staff-delegated applications. We know there are a number of operators who have not yet applied for a TUP, and we are urging them to apply prior to the end of the year before rates increase.” Starting January 1, 2025, the application fees for delegated applications, will increase from $1000 to $1,500, while non-delegated applications will increase from $2000 to $3000.
In addition to the changes to the per parcel maximum occupancy and fees, the Board moved to have future Official Community Plan processes consider zoning changes to identify areas for STRs and added the implementation of business licencing to its 2024/2025 Priority Projects Plan.
“In the two years of public engagement and consultation leading up to the implementation of our STR regulations, the RDEK was limited in the options it could explore as business licencing in rural areas was not authorized by the province. Recognizing STRs were becoming increasingly popular in our region, the Board opted in favour of the TUP process as it was one of the strongest tools available to us,“ explains Gay. “Just a few months after we adopted our policy, the Province announced it was changing the rules and would be allowing regional districts to begin issuing business licences. The changing provincial legislation, all while trying to implement an entirely new process in our region, created delays, confusion and inefficiencies for both the public and our staff. Staff has been spending an incredible amount of time processing applications and that will continue until the Board adopts an alternative.”
While the direction has been given to begin the work to implement business licencing as a priority project, it is not a simple process and will likely take a minimum of 24-36 months. “We will continue to move forward with the STR TUP requirement and hope the amendments adopted by the Board will create greater certainty for applicants of what is supported in our region and clarity in the process itself,” adds Gay.
The RDEK continues to work on the enforcement of non-compliant or non-permitted STRs. Residents who observe permit violations or who are aware of unpermitted STRs should submit a complaint form, available on the RDEK’s website, so that the Compliance Officers can investigate. A dedicated reporting hotline is in the process of being established and will be in place this fall.
To date, the RDEK has considered 121 applications. 110 were considered and approved by delegated staff. The remaining 11 were considered by the Board, eight of which were approved. The three that were refused were for second units on a single parcel.
“Navigating this new landscape of STRs is challenging as we strive to ensure we have a strong policy that considers all perspectives. I’m grateful to staff for their resilience and for bringing forward options and recommendations for the Board to consider as we work to ensure our policy is as current, clear and consistent as possible,” adds Gay. “I believe the amendments we adopted will give us that clarity within the current STR TUP policy.”
