Airbnb to pull listings that don't have proper permits in Quebec
Short-term rental company Airbnb said Friday it would pull listings in Quebec that don't have a permit from the provincial government, eight days after a fatal fire destroyed a historic Old Montreal building that housed illegal rentals.
Four bodies have so far been pulled from the building and three people remain missing in the rubble of Edifice William-Watson-Ogilvie, constructed in 1890. Some of those missing had rented their accommodations on Airbnb. In 2018, Airbnb-style short-term rentals were made illegal in the area where the building is located.
In a letter Friday to Quebec Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx, Airbnb said that it would remove listings across the province that don't have a permit from the agency that manages the province's tourist accommodation act. It also said that in the coming days it will require new listings to include the permit number. The company also promised to give the provincial government access to the Airbnb City Portal -- a tool it says helps communities enforce rules and understand its local footprint.
"These measures build on our years-long efforts to work with local and provincial officials on short-term rental rules that help address community concerns and also preserve a vital source of supplemental income for residents," the company wrote.
The letter was signed by Nathan Rotman, Airbnb's representative for Canada and the northeastern United States. He was one of two employees of the company who met Thursday in Quebec City with Proulx.
Proulx said in a statement following the meeting she had made clear she was determined to tighten the rules surrounding rentals and to make shared-accommodation platforms more accountable. She also vowed to revise the law by June 9 to ensure listings include the permit number.
In a statement shared Friday by her spokesperson, Proulx said she was pleased with Airbnb's measures. "I am satisfied with Airbnb's decision to comply with our legislation as I demanded yesterday during our meeting," Proulx said.
"I also ask other platforms to comply; however, I remain firm on my intention to tighten the (law)."
Earlier this week, Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante accused San Francisco-based Airbnb of "washing its hands" of the problem of illegal rentals in cities across the province.
"It's not normal to have a business that doesn't worry about the legitimacy of the people who do business with it, and who puts the responsibility on municipal and provincial instances -- so taxpayers pay. When you think about it, it's totally absurd," Plante said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.