2 Winnipeg mayoral candidates focus on housing in latest pledges
CBC
Two of Winnipeg's 11 mayoral candidates issued pledges related to housing on Saturday, with one promising to tax short-term rentals and another putting forward his plan to address homelessness.
Rana Bokhari says if elected mayor, she would impose the city's five per cent accommodation tax on short-term residential rentals, such as rentals offered through Airbnb and other websites, to help regulate that industry.
"With a shortage of affordable housing in the city, it is frustrating to lose potential housing to the short-term rental market," Bokhari stated in a news release.
But she noted those rentals "also provide flexible accommodations and support the local economy."
"Currently, there are no specific taxes on short-term rentals in the city, yet hotels are charged an accommodation tax of five per cent," she said, promising to add short-term rentals to the city bylaw that sets the accommodation tax.
Bokhari estimates that imposing the tax on short-term rentals would add about $2.2 million to city coffers annually.
The City of Winnipeg has been looking at regulating short-term residential rentals, in response to concerns about fairness in the hospitality market, noise in high-density areas and even criminal activity.
At its June 23 meeting, council agreed to direct city staff to look into the matter further, including seeking feedback from Winnipeggers about their experiences with short-term rentals and potential regulatory solutions. They would also look at Toronto's short-term rental rules to see what could apply to Winnipeg's situation.
Those in the hotel industry have expressed support for having some restrictions, including limiting owners to renting out only parts of their own homes.
Some Airbnb owners have said while they are in favour of some city rules to ensure short-term rentals are safe, they urged the city not to impose rules that would restrict their business.
Meanwhile, mayoral candidate Idris Adelakun pledged to provide 800 housing units within four years if he is elected, including low-barrier units and units that are converted from older buildings or abandoned homes.
The promise is part of Adelakun's plan to address and prevent homelessness, which he released on Saturday.
He said he would seek permission from council to build on city land, and he would seek funding from all three levels of government, as well as from "fundraising and other organizations," he said in a news release.
He also said he would have the city team up with non-profit organizations to manage and staff the housing buildings.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
A suspended Moncton structural engineer faces more lawsuits alleging design flaws in buildings that require repair.
Sajjade Tugano has come a long way since he first set foot in Chibougamau, six hours north of Quebec City, in the depths of winter in November 2021.
A national mentor-based hockey organization that helps marginalized youth through the sport is paying tribute to one of its members and youngest coaches.
After months of asking the City of Saskatoon to do more to solve its homelessness crisis, advocate David Fineday took to the stand at city council Tuesday.
A community organization wants to breathe new life into a historic building in Regina.
Some Prince County residents are walking away with more answers after attending Tuesday night's public information session in Albany, P.E.I., on the Wejipek Wind Project.
After just a few months of using vape detectors in a couple of bathrooms, a B.C. high school principal says it's reduced vape use in those areas to basically zero.
Burlington MP Karina Gould gets boost from local young people after entering Liberal leadership race
A day after entering the Liberal leadership race, Burlington, Ont., MP and government House leader Karina Gould was cheered at a campaign launch party by local residents — including young people expressing hope the 37-year-old politician will represent their voices.
Anold Mulaisho was born intersex and wonders where they fit in, in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order for the United States to recognize only two sexes, male and female.
WARNING: This story contains references to suicide.
Subway service is down on Line 1 between Sheppard West and Lawrence West due to a broken power rail, the TTC said Wednesday morning.
A long-term care home in Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood has cleared one more hurdle to add desperately needed beds to its property, a move that's been praised by housing advocates but opposed by locals concerned about the impact on the neighbourhood.
A Charlottetown resident is calling on the P.E.I. government to do more to protect homeowners after reading about a recent oil spill very similar to one on his Montague property 20 years ago, which he says ruined him financially.
WARNING: This story includes details of abuse.
Two years after Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly declared she was taking the unprecedented step of moving to confiscate millions of dollars from a sanctioned Russian oligarch with assets in Canada, the government has not actually begun the court process to forfeit the money, let alone to hand it over to Ukrainian reconstruction — and it may never happen.
Alberta business and oilpatch leaders are returning home from Washington this week after the U.S. presidential inauguration festivities — and gritting their teeth after a roller-coaster of emotions.
Youth workers in Toronto's Jane and Finch area are flipping the script on negative stereotypes about their communities with a new fundraising campaign that offers anti-bias training in exchange for donations to bolster their programming.
In a sudden move that came late Tuesday evening, city officials rolled out cots and temporarily opened a warm building in east London as frigid temperatures continued.