MidlandToday welcomes letters to the editor ([email protected]). Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to a letter regarding short-term rentals, published April 16.
Dear Editor,
I have been a permanent Tiny resident since 2012.
I moved here because I always loved this community. Unfortunately, the changes taking place in recent years make me question this decision.
Nothing is done (by council) for the benefit of the community and everything is done for the benefit of the few with the mighty $$$$ power.
Short-term rentals (STR) are one example, though illegal in the lakeshore property designation, council has been turning a blind eye for years now.
Again, because people with $$$$ power are making money and gaining even more power. Now, we have around 600 of these, and still nothing is being done.
Same with the waterfront properties and beach management or rather lack of it.
We are losing our community and our neighbours to short-term, unmanaged, unsupervised mini hotels, or as we call them party houses. Since December last year, I have had one next door to me. Advertised as six bedrooms, sleeping 16.
One weekend there were nine cars parked in front, and at least 18 young people partying hard. How can anyone feel safe next door to a house like that, to a group of drunk 18+ adults? There is no security there like a hotel would have or a front desk where you can voice your concerns.
So yes, there is noise pollution and concern for safety in general being voiced by all of us living here, but the most concerning is the loss of neighbours and community at large.
If this continues to be allowed, soon Tiny will be a “community” of only STR.
There was a letter from someone asking not to blame all STR because of a few ill-managed ones, but I have not heard nor seen a good one. Neither have I seen any of them having a positive impact on any neighbourhood!
They inflate house prices and make it impossible for a regular family to buy, they increase population to levels our infrastructure cannot support, they bring garbage, water and noise pollution, and destroy the fabric of our community.
Who wants to live next door to a short-term, unmanaged, unsupervised hotel!? Once you do, you will very quickly change your mind and want them all banned!
Respectfully,
Grażyna Chochol
Tiny
