Airbnb is 'not a good corporate citizen,' says Quebec tourism minister
The finger-pointing between Airbnb and Quebec continued this week after the province's tourism minister accused the short-term rental giant of not being "a good corporate citizen."
Caroline Proulx made the comments during a media scrum Wednesday at the National Assembly when asked by reporters to respond to Airbnb's opposition to Bill 25.
The bill, tabled in the Quebec legislature on May 9, would require companies like Airbnb to verify whether or not listings for accommodation have a valid certificate. If passed, it would also set fines of up to $100,000 for rental platforms for non-compliance.
"Under no conditions, will it be the status quo with Airbnb," Proulx said Wednesday.
"We asked to run ads with registration numbers, a pretty simple request. They didn't want to, we said we were going to change the rules of the game, that accountability was going to be on the platforms. So that's the name of the game."
The tough talk comes one day after Airbnb's policy adviser Camille Boulais-Pretty criticized Bill 25 in an interview with The Canadian Press, saying the proposed legislation is forcing the company "to do the work of civil servants" and that it's the responsibility of the government to do the necessary checks.
"The platforms will have to manually check each of the [registration] certificates and verify their validity … We don't have the role of the regulator. We don't have the power of the regulator. We don't have the power of the police," Boulais-Pretty said.
She said Bill 25 presents a "too heavy" administrative burden on the company, and that the company would prefer a system in which it would take down ads for short-term rentals at the request of the government.
Proulx fired back on Wednesday by saying there are close to 20 private companies operating in Quebec that would be subject to Bill 25 and they have their share of the responsibility to ensure they comply with the law.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.