B.C. mulling provincial regulations on short-term rental apps like Airbnb

With Quebec promising to introduce provincewide regulations on short-term rentals listed on the Airbnb app, the B.C. government says it is working on legislation of its own.

A mandate letter issued to B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon includes a directive to introduce legislation to allow local communities to “better regulate” services like Airbnb, and the minister has told CBC News that he would work on it this year.

The scrutiny of Airbnb and similar platforms has increased across the country after seven people died in a fire at an illegal Airbnb in Old Montreal two weeks ago.

As Quebec promises to require the Airbnb app to only list rentals that have