VICTORIA, B.C.: Gavin Dew, MLA for Kelowna-Mission, issued the following statement regarding Kelowna’s exemption from the province’s short-term rental regulations:
“It was announced this morning that the City of Kelowna will be granted an exemption from the province’s short-term rental regulations. This is a welcome but overdue decision, and I’m proud of everyone who worked hard to make it happen.
“The City of Kelowna deserves credit for its patience and professionalism: both in delivering on housing supply and in developing evidence-based short-term rental policies that reflect local needs. It is unfortunate that the provincial government took this long to acknowledge that a local solution was both available and appropriate.
“I provided the BC NDP with multiple pathways to resolve this last year. Instead, their ideological heel-dragging left Kelowna in limbo for months and cost our community precious time for a summer tourism recovery.
“In 2024, BC Conservatives ran on the need for a made-in-Kelowna approach to short-term rentals. To their credit, so did some local NDP candidates like Loyal Wooldridge. But when Victoria got involved, local consensus was cast aside in favour of a top-down, one-size-fits-all policy that upended people’s lives.
“The bigger issue is this: the NDP continues to treat municipalities like children and private property rights like an afterthought. A Conservative government will restore property rights, restore respect for municipalities, and rebuild our economy.”
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