Parks Canada has withdrawn proposed changes to private homes (PHAs) in Jasper, Alta. after a reaction from the operators.
Eric and Lorraine Dieticker have run the PHA outside of their home in Jasper for 33 years.
It allows the couple to meet with visitors from all over the world, saving money for retirement all the time.
But when Parks Canada unveiled a number of proposed regulatory changes to how PHA could work earlier this month, the couple thought it was the end of Rainees Rooms B&B.
Eric Dietiker was crushed.
“It was our pension in a nutshell,” he said.
On Friday, Parks Canada withdrew its proposed amendments and the June 13 feedback deadline.
In a letter to stakeholders, Senior Real Estate and Development Advisor Dave Kraisenbeck said Parks Canada acknowledged that the timeframe was problematic and promised to take further consultations to “jointly identify amendments that will address the safety code of life, preservation of residential areas, problems with parking and compliance “which were raised during public engagement sessions in 2019.
Eric and Lorraine Dietiker run Rainees Rooms from their home in Jasper, Alta. (Submitted by Lorraine Dietiker)
Karen Phillips, treasurer of the Jasper Home Accommodation Association, said the withdrawal was a delay.
“The first reaction – I want to say, both for me and for other operators I spoke to – we were all quite happy,” she said.
“But it’s not gone, it’ll come back.”
Policy changes
A package of amendments, dated 5 May this year, outlines the proposed changes and the reasons behind them.
“PHAs are designed to consist of a separate bedroom in a resident’s home,” it said.
“However, historical practices, unclear policies and administrative errors have led to a number of existing PHAs in the community that mimic a private hotel room or second apartment.”
Parks Canada says managing commercial use in housing is vital given the city’s continuing housing shortage and affordability challenges.
Among the proposed clarifications and amendments will be:
- Explicit ban on kitchens in PHA areas.
- The PHA requirement occupies only 10% of the home, according to home business regulations.
- Prohibition of independent access, which refuses the main residence.
- Require parking stands in the property for PHA.
- All existing permits expire at the end of 2024. Permits did not expire before, but will now expire in three years.
Under the new scheme, operators can also apply before the end of this year to convert PHA into a secondary package, another standard commonly used for longer-term leases with a temporary policy that came into force in 2020. The permit will be exempted from some requirements such as size restrictions and bans on kitchen and access.
Phillips said the changes would make it impossible for most of JHAA’s 143 members to continue working with their PHAs, depriving residents of income and visitors of the type of accommodation cheaper than hotels and more comfortable than camping.
“We were allowed to have these facilities with the full knowledge of Parks Canada, and now suddenly they are no longer acceptable.”
Municipal autonomy
Jasper has had a city council since 2001, but land use and zoning are controlled by Parks Canada.
Both the JHAA and city council officials have asked the federal agency to extend the initial June 13 deadline for feedback.
Speaking to CBC News before the withdrawal of the proposed amendments, Mayor Richard Ireland said the situation showed a problem with accountability.
“This definitely points to the fact that regulatory changes like this, which have such profound social impacts, must be made by people who are directly accountable to the people through democratic processes,” he said.
“This is the proposal we have been making for years.”
Ireland said Parks Canada had recently agreed to negotiate a review of jurisdiction over land use planning and land rents, although no deadline has yet been set.
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