The Airbnb platform will itself ensure that hosts comply with Quebec laws | Fire in Old Montreal

Recalcitrant owners will have their listings removed in the coming days, the company says.

Airbnb agrees to fully comply with the legislative changes that the Legault government wishes to adopt by the end of the parliamentary session.

A week after the deadly fire in Old Montreal, which reignited the debate on the supervision of short-term housing rentals, the Airbnb platform announces that it will now require the telephone number. registration by the Quebec Tourism Industry Corporation (CITQ) of owners who use its services.

In a letter sent Friday to the Minister of Tourism, Caroline Proulx, and of which Radio-Canada obtained a copy, the company's regional director of public policy, Nathan Rotman, pledges to introduce a mandatory registration field that will apply to all announcements of the province.

Hosts who do not fill in this field will have their ads deleted, he promises, without specifying whether the multinational will take it upon itself to verify the accuracy of the information provided by the owners.

The leaders of Airbnb – who had been accused Thursday of lacking proactivity by Minister Proulx – thus undertake to respect the spirit of the legislative amendment promised earlier this week by the CAQ.< /p>

In addition, we will make our cities portal available to the Quebec government to facilitate host compliance tracking, says Rotman.

“These actions are part of our ongoing efforts to develop, in conjunction with lawmakers, short-term accommodation regulations that are thoughtful and fair.

—Nathan Rotman, Airbnb Regional Director of Public Policy

These measures will be introduced in the coming days, says the multinational, whose headquarters are based in San Francisco. That said, many listings accessible from the app appeared to be disabled already on Friday.

Airbnb understands these measures could impact thousands of customers. Quebec hosts who rely on this income to make ends meet.

For this reason, the platform is committed to continuing its awareness campaigns with hosts to make them aware of the CITQ's registration requirements.

Shown from finger for its inaction in this file, the Legault government has committed since the fire in Old Montreal to toughen its law on tourist accommodation by the end of the current parliamentary session .

Canadian Airbnb executives were warned Thursday that Quebec will soon make them “accountable” during a brief meeting with Minister Proulx, from which they emerged mute.

< p class="e-p">I am satisfied with Airbnb's decision to comply with our legislation as I demanded yesterday during our meeting, commented the main interested party on Friday afternoon.

< p class="e-p">I also ask other platforms to comply, she said in a statement sent by email, assuring that the latest developments did not change anything in her intention to tighten the Law on tourist accommodation.

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On the opposition side, the Liberal Party and Québec solidaire also welcomed Airbnb's decision, stressing however that it came very late.

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Research in the rubble of the William-Watson-Ogilvie building will continue all weekend, the SPVM said Friday morning. (File photo)

Meanwhile, investigations by the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and the Coroner's Office are continuing to determine the circumstances surrounding the #x27;fire that destroyed the William-Watson-Ogilvie Building on March 16, many of which were rented through Airbnb.

To date, four remains have been extricated from the rubble. Three people are also missing. However, the blaze should not have caused more than seven victims, according to the most recent declarations of the police.

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Airbnb's letter to Minister Proulx by Radio -Canada in Scribd

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