A provincial law change will allow all Québecians to rent their primary residence for less than 31 days from March 2023. Nevertheless, to avoid the changes caused by this law, Magog wanted to introduce regulations so that short-term rentals remain prohibited where they were already prohibited.
On Wednesday, residents opposed these regulations and therefore wanted to have short-term rentals approved in their area. were invited to sign a register at City Hall. None of the 492 zones dividing the municipality have reached the number of signatures required to request a referendum. The status quo will therefore be maintained throughout the area.
In all, signatories have signed up for 51 zones, says Magog city official Marie-Pierre Gauthier.
” On average, we had about two to three signers per zone. It wasn’t a register where we had a lot of people showing up. »
The city did not count the total number of voters, as some citizens voted in several areas.
The number of signatures required varied by zone, but already The Tourist Accommodation Act had cut in half the number of signatures normally required by law to get through to a referendum. Despite everything, we did not reach the planned threshold values
notes Marie-Pierre Gauthier.
The Chemin Roy and Chemin des Myrtilles area near Cherry River Marsh came the closest to a referendum, with 9 out of 11 signatures required.
No individual exemptions
The city cannot grant individual exemptions to residents who wish to circumvent these regulations. However, these could be changed in the future if enough citizens from the same sector wish to do so.
The Building Regulations Act does not allow targeting a specific residence. […] If citizens of a particular sector wish to offer tourist accommodation in primary residences, they can apply to the city’s planning and development department for a change in zoning. If it appears that a large part of the population in this sector is applying, then steps could be taken
explains Marie-Pierre Gauthier.
After the registration phase has been completed, a certificate of conformity will have to be issued by the MRC de Memphrémagog in the coming weeks. The notices are then published on the website and in the town hall. The regulations are expected to come into force at the end of March.
Short-term rental also remains permitted where it has already been approved.
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