By John Francis, Bruce Peninsula Press
Ian Kelland, Roger and Loretta Plomley formed a delegation to MNBP Council’s May 27 Meeting, complaining about outrageous disturbances at an STA property on Spry Shore Road. They demanded that the property’s STA licence be revoked. They also suggested that Class C STA licences in general are a bad idea, gathering large crowds of people in residential neighbourhoods with no meaningful oversight, monitoring or supervision. They told Council that a sunset clause should be applied to existing Class C STAs, and that no further Class C licences should be issued.
At MNBP Council’s June 10 Meeting, the owner and property manager for the Spry Shore Road Property appeared as a delegation to “…refute the majority of the claims” made by the previous delegation.
Nathan Monk of Grey-Bruce Cottages Inc (GBC) is the property manager for the Spry Shore Road STA. He explained how he and his two partners had formed a team to provide property management services which are “desperately needed on the peninsula”. GBC is a TICO (Travel Industry Council of Ontario) registered company which has attained an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and Superhost status as a property manager.
The Spry Shore Road property is not just a vacation rental, he explained; it is also a guest favourite. The property owner, Haseeb Rana, is also a Superhost, a status which is only awarded to hosts who maintain “a high level of standards”.
He stated that customers wrote glowing testimonials about the Spry Shore Road property and the complaints related to 3% of the guests and were not representative. Monk explained that as property manager, he is available 24/7 to handle complaints but had never heard from the neighbours of the Spry Shore property despite the fact that the GBC contact information is posted at the driveway. He told Council that if he had been called, he’d have been there in a heartbeat.
He said that the property has never hosted more than 12 people and that he was not aware of any fireworks and had not been advised of any. There were regular checks, especially during fire bans and there are cameras all over the property; GBC would be quick to respond if violations were noticed. There was a good information package for guests that explains what is and is not permitted.
Property owner Haseeb Rana appeared by ZOOM; he apologized for the May 10 guest problems and explained that there had been “many learning curves” but that he has invested his life’s savings in this property and it was his ambition to manage it to the highest standard; losing the licence would be devastating.
A full summary of their presentation will appear in the Minutes of the June 10 Meeting, in the next issue of the Bruce Peninsula Press.
The Agenda for MNBP’s June 24 Meeting includes letters from the Plomleys and Ian Kelland, rebutting the June 10 delegation’s claims.
A couple of excerpts from Loretta and Roger Plomley’s letter:
“This past June 16th, a renter was on our property and then walked across our property and onto the Kelland’s dock. They told him he was on private property. He apologized and said he did not know, and moved along back to 109 Spry Shore. Calling the OPP for this minor trespassing incident makes no sense, yet it happens frequently and it is frustrating that we have to constantly look over our shoulder for unwelcome guests. Evidently this guest did not read the rules or was not directed clearly enough to remain at his rental.”
“Last summer when helping out with a flood, 7 children and at least 12 adults were present. I did not have the heart to spoil a holiday for these youngsters so no complaint was filed but this is not an exceptional example.”
Ian Kelland’s letter includes the booking records for the property, with past and future instances where the property has been rented to groups of 14 guests.
Kelland demands to know why, with so many instances of the STA breaking one rule after another, no formal complaints seem to have been registered. How bad does it have to get for a violation to be registered?
STA Expansion Vote
The Bylaw to extend the 4% Municipal Accommodation Tax to include “hotels, motels, hostels, cabins, cottages and bed and breakfast establishments” (but not campgrounds or marinas) comes up for approval at MNBP Council’s June 24 Meeting, with a projected implementation date of Jan 1, 2025. The Staff Report upon which the Bylaw is based was received without comment at the May 27 Meeting.
