NDP Premier David Eby was suitably ambiguous this week regarding the possibility of a big-time reopening in Kelowna of short-term rentals like Airbnb and Vrbo.
"We're working closely with the City of Kelowna," Eby told a news conference in Kelowna on Wednesday.
"We're hoping for a solution for the busy summer months. We look forward to having an announcement soon."
He wouldn't elaborate on how soon.
Eby was in town for an event at beverage company Farming Karma regarding the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund.
However, when the floor opened for questions, the queries were all about Kelowna's Airbnb situation and Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) suspension.
More on DRIPA later.
When the province and the City of Kelowna cracked down on short-term rentals on May 1, 2024, the number of Airbnb and Vrbo-type units in the city went from around 2,400 to about 400.
The province and the city wanted Kelowna's housing inventory to be available for long-term rentals for people who live and work in Kelowna, not tourists here for a day or two or a week.
Since 2024, Kelowna's had a building boom of 6-storey apartment buildings, pushing the vacancy rate up and providing residents with lots of rental choice.
So, the time came to lift the harsh rules governing short-term rentals.
And, the province responded with a November easing of Airbnb and Vrbo rules.
November's a long way away.
In the meantime Kelowna will host an influx of visitors needing short-term rentals in May for the Memorial Cup, at the end of June and beginning of July for Touchdown (with its two BC Lions games), and during the peak summer recovery season.
Thus, Kelowna wants the November timeline moved way up.
The short-term rental crackdown contributed to Kelowna having soft tourism seasons in the summers of 2024 and 2025 as people had fewer accommodation choices, shortened their stays, and spent less money.
As well, people that bought condominiums as investments to rent out as Airbnbs or Vrbos saw business revenues dry up.
The lobby started almost immediatly to restore Kelowna's short-term rental pool.
"I understand your impatience," said Eby.
"We're looking forward to an announcement lifting restrictions sooner (than the November timeline). A solution for the busy summer months."
DRIPA
The other hot topic Wednesday for Eby was DRIPA.
The premier wants to put a hold of up to three years on key parts of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act because it has serious legal liability for the province until the Supreme Court makes a decision.
Such a big move calls for a confidence vote in the Legislature.
If the confidence vote doesn't pass, it could topple the NDP government and force a provincial election.
"I'm confident the bill will pass and we won't have a spring election," said Eby.
Eby is hoping the bill passes by May 28, if not before.
If DRIPA is paused, Eby feels the government can still find a path forward with First Nations.
Indigenous cooperation is necessary over the next few years to bring big projects to fruition like LNG Canada phase 2, a First Nations LNG initiative and four mines worth $3 billion.
Even with full DRIPA and Indigenous claims for swaths of land, Eby said the province would never negotiate private property or give private property away.
