Short-term rental

The Town presented a new proposal for a regulatory approach to short-term rentals at the public meeting held last Saturday, April 22, 2023. The 40 or so people in attendance or in line also heard an excellent presentation by Professor David Wachsmuth and doctoral student Chloé St-Hilaire on short-term rentals and the housing problem in the Eastern Townships.

This latest draft of the Town’s regulatory proposal is the result of a careful analysis of the issues surrounding short-term rentals, their positive and negative impacts and the concerns expressed by citizens through the comments received. A distinction is made between short-term rentals of primary residences (permitted throughout the Town) and short-term rentals of tourist residences, known as commercial tourist accommodation, which would be subject to several conditions. In both cases, prior to obtaining any authorization from the Town, certifications would be required concerning the compliance of the septic installation, fire safety compliance and the quality of the drinking water.

The proposals will be submitted to Town Council, which is expected to decide on their adoption at its June 7 meeting.

The presentation document (English version coming soon) has been posted on the Dream Sutton website, in the Useful Links section.

The public meeting was recorded and can be viewed on the Town’s YouTube channel in the Information Sessions section.

After having to be cancelled on March 18, the meeting with citizens on short-term rentals will be held next Saturday, April 22, from 1 to 4 p.m. The purpose of this information session is to present to the population the regulatory changes concerning short-term rentals that will soon be proposed to Council for adoption as part of the revision of the Urban Plan.

Information reminder

These regulatory changes are the result of extensive analysis and consultation on the key issue of short-term rentals. First, the Town held a public meeting on September 29, 2022, to present the issues and listen to citizens’ comments. Then, from November to December, the Town collected comments, suggestions and opinions from approximately 50 citizens, which were posted online.

After reviewing all of this information and considering that changes to our bylaws must be made to respond to Council’s orientations, the Town of Sutton invites you to come and hear the explanations that will be given at this public meeting on March 18.

Professor David Wachsmuth’s conference

At the invitation of the Town, Professor David Wachsmuth, Associate Professor at McGill University and Canada Research Chair in Urban Governance, will be sharing his knowledge of urban planning, particularly in the area of short-term rental.

The meeting will be recorded and broadcast live on the Town’s YouTube channel (in “En direct” and “Séance d’information” sections).

As announced by the mayor at the last council meeting, a citizens’ meeting on short-term rentals will be held on Saturday, March 18, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., to present to the population the regulatory amendments that will soon be proposed to council for adoption as part of the revision of the urban plan.

These amendments are the result of extensive analysis and consultation on the key issue of short-term rentals. First, the Town held a public meeting on September 29, 2022, to present the issues and listen to citizens’ comments. Then, from November to December, the Town collected comments, suggestions and opinions from approximately 50 citizens, which were posted online.

After reviewing all of this information and considering that changes to our bylaws must be made to respond to Council’s orientations, the Town of Sutton invites you to come and hear the explanations that will be given at this public meeting on March 18.

Professor David Wachsmuth’s conference

At the invitation of the Town, Professor David Wachsmuth, Associate Professor at McGill University and Canada Research Chair in Urban Governance, will be sharing his knowledge of urban planning, particularly in the area of short-term rental.

The meeting will be recorded and broadcast live on the Town’s YouTube channel (in “En direct” and “Séance d’information” sections).

All the comments that were sent by our citizens on the short-term rental are now online.

At the September 29 public meeting on the fundamental issue of short-term leasing, the Town called on those affected or interested in the issue to provide input on the proposed changes by November 4.

No less than fifty-two people participated in this vast collection of comments, opinions, suggestions, and questions. We would like to thank our citizens for their active contribution and for the quality of their interventions,” commented Mayor Robert Benoît. Given the number of responses and the importance we attach to this subject, we wanted to take the time necessary to analyze and respond to them as part of our process of revising the urban plan.”

As this document is not immediately translated, the comments have been published in their original language and the responses are provided in the same language.

A new public meeting planned in February

As announced by the Mayor, a new public meeting will be held in February (date to be confirmed shortly). The Town wishes to present new proposals for regulatory changes that take into account the feedback received.

The Town of Sutton held a public meeting on September 26, 2022, about short-term rental regulations. Approximately 60 citizens attended.

The mayor outlined the process, supported by the documents presented, and answered questions. The meeting was recorded on video and can be accessed here in the Videos area on the right of this page.

The public has until November 4, 2022, to file written comments on the proposed regulatory changes.

For more information follow this link.