(Quebec) Airbnb will have no choice but to comply with the new law on tourist accommodation and does not act as a “good corporate citizen”, deplores Caroline Proulx.
“Under no conditions, it will be the status quo with Airbnb,” said the Minister of Tourism Wednesday in a press scrum. With a new bill currently under study, his government wants to impose fines of up to $100,000 per illegal ad on platforms, which will have to ensure that landlords comply with Quebec laws.
On Tuesday, the California company that offers homeowners short-term rentals said it is prepared to remove all offers of illegal accommodation on its site, but believes it is the government’s responsibility to verify compliance of offers.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Caroline Proulx
“What the Minister [du Tourisme, Caroline Proulx] asks us with Bill 25, it is essentially to do the work of public servants, ”denounces the policy advisor of Airbnb, Camille Boulais-Pretty, in an interview with The Canadian Press.
Bill 25 would impose ‘too heavy’ administrative burden on Airbnb, Judge Mme Boulais-Pretty. “The platforms will have to do a manual check of each of the certificates [d’enregistrement] and will have to verify its validity. […] We do not have the role of regulator. We do not have the power of the regulator. We don’t have the power of the police. »
The company filed a brief, but refused to go to the National Assembly to share its point of view.
Change the rules
The minister retorted that Airbnb “is not a good corporate citizen”. “We gave them a chance […], but they did not comply. We asked to broadcast ads with a registration number, the request was quite simple, they did not want to, “listed Mme Proulx.
“We said they were going to change the rules of the game and that accountability was going to be on the platforms. It is the name of the game “.
It was already mandatory for a landlord to register their accommodation for short-term rental, but platforms like Airbnb were not required to ensure that the accommodations displayed on their site complied with the law, and 70% of ads were illegal, according to a 2022 Ministry of Tourism review.
The minister wants the piece of legislation to be adopted as soon as possible, before the summer.
With The Canadian Press