‘We cannot wait any longer’: Council to vote on short-term rentals in Kawartha Lakes

Proposed licensing program includes fees for short-term rental owners, enhanced enforcement services for complaints and a demerit point system

Council is hoping for a more peaceful summer for cottagers and residents alike in Kawartha Lakes as they move toward a new Short-Term Rental (STR) Accommodation Licensing Program aimed at targeting problem property owners.

“We cannot wait any longer. The public wants us to make a decision and do it now,” says Ward 7 Coun. Charlie McDonald, who served as chair of the STR Licensing Task Force, which brought a final proposed bylaw and implementation plan to the committee of the whole meeting of council this week, the culmination of five years of study in Kawartha Lakes.