Does Capping the number of Vacation Rentals Now Make Sense for Hornby?

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Does Capping the number of Vacation Rentals Now Make Sense for Hornby?

We at HISTRA believe the Temporary Use Permit (TUP) bylaw requirements proposed for managing Vacation Rentals are reasonable and good for Hornby.

The Hornby community benefits from well-managed Vacation Rentals adhering to established water and ecological standards while at the same time supporting hundreds of our workers, artists,

businesses and families. Unfettered growth is not healthy for the island and a reasonable cap will help protect what we all hold dear.

At the March 21st Local Trust Committee (LTC) meeting, our two Hornby Trustees proposed setting a cap on Vacation Rentals at 67, half of the 135 Vacation Rentals they estimate are currently

operating on the Island. Trustee Scott said it was a number for the community to discuss.

We believe the current Vacation Rentals are stable and sustainable. Reducing them, let alone by half, is detrimental for Hornby as a whole. For many, renting their homes is how they afford to remain a part of the Hornby community. The guests they bring are an important lifeblood to the artists, artisans, businesses, workers, cleaners and tradespeople of Hornby.

With required Provincial Registration by May 1st, in the next month we will finally know how many Vacation Rentals we actually have.

So, what DO we know?

1. Most Vacation Rental owners have long and deep roots on Hornby, many being second or third generation islanders. Many bought on the island after years of visiting, making memories and

building connections.

2. We are not investors — and investors are not a part of Hornby’s Vacation Rentals.
3. Vacation Rentals do not all operate simultaneously or consecutively over the summer. Many owners enjoy their Hornby homes several weeks during the season.
4. Our information suggests the number of Vacation Rentals has been stable for several years.
5. We estimate around 400 Vacation Rental guests come to Hornby each summer week.
6. That’s compared to 2,400 part time owners, family and friends, another 1,000 at campsites and our other paid accommodations and 500 visiting full time residents.

1. • Cutting 200 from 4,300 weekly visitors won’t make much difference to lines, ferries or the popularity of Hornby as a destination. It will hurt a lot of locals though.

7. Every year Vacation Rentals spend the average annual income of 70-75 workers on Hornby — that’s over 15% of the local labour force. That’s not rental fees, that’s what is spent by guests and owners in our community. That would be cut in half.
8. Vacation Rentals pay 75% of the Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT—aka the “pillow tax”) for Hornby, currently $65-75K each year, goes towards workforce housing on Hornby.

1. • Since 2022 HICEEC has collected approximately $200,000 of MRDT funds in a GIC, dedicated to workforce housing, $150,000 coming directly from Vacation Rentals.

9. A long-held argument against Vacation Rentals is the belief they would otherwise provide long term housing on Hornby. The reality is this simply isn’t the case. Our own families are in their homes many times throughout the year making them unavailable for long term residency. They would also be unaffordable — what Hornby needs is more housing that costs below $1,000 a month, housing the MRDT funds can support.

In short, reducing the number of Hornby’s Vacation Rentals will negatively affect many, while providing little benefit or any real change. What it will do is cut the MRDT funds Vacation Rentals contribute to HICEEC’s workforce housing initiative. It will reduce the incomes of many islanders

and upend the lives of all the families who will struggle to keep their family properties and with no positive impact on housing or appreciable difference in visitors.

Reducing the number of Vacation Rentals doesn’t seem to help anyone or anything. What we, and we hope you, support as these changes are implemented:

1. • Every Vacation Rental that is legally operating, meets the TUP requirements, is provincially registered and paying the MRDT can apply for and receive a TUP.
   • Once those TUPs are granted, the need for and size of a cap should be decided in a community process, not by the Trustees alone.
   • If the cap is set below the number of TUPs that have been granted, then no new Vacation Rentals would be added until the number falls below the cap.
   • To provide certainty for the community, our Trustees can formally confirm, at the May 16th LTC meeting, that, once in place, they will approve all TUPs for provincially registered active

Vacation Rentals that follow the bylaws, meet the TUP requirements and pay MRDT. If you think this is reasonable, please let the Trustees know by email or over coffee.

We believe the Trustees want to make changes the community supports but they must hear from you to know what that is.

Here are the emails:

1. • • Trustee Alex Allen: AAllen@islandstrust.bc.ca
     • Trustee Grant Scott: GScott@islandstrust.bc.ca
     • Hornby Island Local Trust Committee Chair, Timothy Peterson: tpeterson@islandstrust.bc.ca

Sincerely, Your Friends and Neighbours, The HISTRA Board and our Members

If you have questions about this information, please reach out to hornbyshortterm@gmail.com, we are happy to have a conversation with you.