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Global News - As demand returns, can short-term rentals co-exist with housing affordability? - globalnews.ca - Usa - Canada
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As demand returns, can short-term rentals co-exist with housing affordability?
short-term rentals are renewing scrutiny on the role platforms such as Airbnb play in making housing less affordable for some Canadians.Experts who spoke to Global News say there’s a clear correlation between the prominence of short-term rentals in a city and the affordability of rents and home prices, while a spokesperson for Airbnb says there’s no proof that the platform is making housing more expensive for local residents.Pushes to regulate the short-term rental market like new legislation passed this week in Quebec, however, are showing promise to experts who monitor the impact of Airbnb and others on improving housing affordability in Canada.Quebec’s new regulations and the conversation about housing affordability in Canada come as Airbnb itself is projecting a “much larger return to summer travel.”Nathan Rotman, Airbnb’s regional lead in Canada and the northeastern United States, says much of the travel demand in Canada observed by the platform comes from budget-conscious Canadians who are travelling domestically but nonetheless want to get out of the house this summer after years of pandemic disruptions.“We’re definitely seeing people return to urban centres in a way that they hadn’t at the height of the pandemic, when they were looking to reconnect with family and friends and book something much more rural and remote,” he tells Global News.Bram Gallagher is an economist with AirDNA, a third-party site that scrapes data from Airbnb and Expedia-owned competitor VRBO to track the short-term rental market for investors and the platform’s hosts.Gallagher confirms Rotman’s read on the short-term rental market: “demand is up,” he tells Global News.April, for example, saw 1.4 million short-term rental stays in Canada, up
Global News - Duane Bratt - Danielle Smith - Alberta Premier decries big tech and government censorship as Facebook account temporarily suspended - globalnews.ca
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Alberta Premier decries big tech and government censorship as Facebook account temporarily suspended
Danielle Smith took to Twitter Wednesday to announce that she had been suspended from posting on Facebook for a “few days” – pointing a finger at “big tech and government censorship.”In her tweet, Smith wrote: “Big tech and government censorship is becoming a danger to free speech around the world … As the Premier of a province of 4.6 million Albertans – if they can prevent me from communicating with you, imagine what they can do to any one of us.“Regardless of our political leanings, we must all stand against censorship.”The premier’s office said in a statement they are waiting for clarification from Facebook about the ban, and the information received so far indicates the ban will last for a “few days.”The statement did not provide what explanation, if any, the premier had received about why the ban was put in place.Global News also reached out to the social media platform but did not hear back.Danielle Smith was re-elected as premier on May 29, representing the United Conservative Party.Political scientist Duane Bratt said he’s curious to know what she’s been banned for, and that should have been made clear in the message she received from Facebook.“Even if that notice doesn’t include the reasons, why can’t they share that?” he asked. Global News asked the premier’s office for proof of the ban, but they did not provide any.“Why are they going on and announcing she is being suspended without any of the proof or the screenshot, or why that’s occurring.”Smith has been very outspoken on social media, even before she first became premier in October.“She’s calling it censorship and the irony of that is just how many Albertans she has blocked from her Twitter account.
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