Jul 6, 2017

Pumping the Brakes: New Regulations Aim to Limit the Impact of Short-Term Rentals in Toronto

The rise of the “sharing economy” has spawned many new industries, but perhaps one of the most prominent (together with ride sharing) has been the explosion in “vacation rental by owner” services, led most prominently in Canada by Airbnb. These short-term rental platforms operate worldwide, generally without regulation. The City of Toronto (the “City”), however, is seeking to change this trend. On June 12, the City’s Municipal Licensing and Standards division released a number of proposed regulations that could seriously impact the short-term rental market in Toronto. These regulations aim to increase the availability of permanent affordable rental housing by curbing the number of short-term rentals available, especially in the downtown core.

Apr 6, 2017

Residential Landlords Beware! Toronto By-law Creates Onerous New Obligations

On March 28, 2017, Toronto City Council adopted Agenda Item LS17.1, which authorizes the creation of a new by-law (the “By-law“) to govern apartment buildings in Toronto, and creates significant new record-keeping and reporting obligations for residential landlords. The definition of “apartment buildings” is intended to apply to all purpose-built rental properties in Toronto with three (3) or more storeys and ten (10) or more dwelling units available for rent. It will not apply to long-term care facilities, licensed retirement homes, or co-operative housing, but will cover Toronto Community Housing buildings (with some small differences).

The proposed By-law will apply to an estimated 3,578 apartment buildings in Toronto. The By-law will come into effect on July 1, 2017, and according to Councillor Josh Matlow, City inspectors will have visited every building by the end of 2017.

Mar 29, 2017

Feds Not Just Blowing Smoke: Recreational Marijuana to be Legal by July 1, 2018

Less than twenty-four hours after being called out by a candidate for the leadership of the NDP, CBC News has reported that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government plans on introducing legislation in early April 2017 with the intention of legalizing recreational marijuana by July 1, 2018.

According to the CBC report, the new legislation will “broadly follow” the final recommendations of the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization, providing landlords and retail marijuana business owners with some clues as to what the final regulatory system will look like.