LaSalle will look into how it could handle short term rentals (STR) within the town.
Council directed administration Tuesday night to hire a consultant to develop a STR program and come back to council with recommendations for consideration.
The issue first came to councils attention in November 2023. At that time, council directed administration to continue to monitor the local STR market, complaints and concerns received, and to rely on their existing by-laws to enforce any noise or nuisance issues that resulted from STR activity.
Council heard Tuesday that the town currently has 47 known STRs with minimal complaints.
Resident Rod Peterson spoke and told council he was unhappy with the situation next door to his home.
"Last year, the single family home next to us was converted into three short term rental units, hosted by a company, that according to one short term rental website, offers 13 rentals in LaSalle and Windsor," Peterson said. "No one sees guests when they arrive or leave, it's all electronic. No one's on site in case of emergency or disturbances."
Mayor Crystal Meloche said it was important that the town develop a thorough bylaw that allows them to protect existing residents.
"From what I've seen and if we want to make sure we make the best decision for LaSalle moving forward, and I say moving forward, realizing yes, we have about 40 something already established, but compared to our neighbours that's very minimal, now is the time for us to do this to make sure we get in before a lot more appear," said Meloche.
Councillor Jeff Renaud says he saw potential for issues with STRs in the future if the town neglected to act.
"In our small town, as much as the 24 units or 23 units last year, didn't seem very substantial, it did double in one year," said Renaud. "So that probably tells me that by next year it will double again, and by the time we have a chance to look at this again, this could be out of control."
Administration presented council the benefits of an STR program that included: preserving housing supply, ensuring compliance and safety, the possibility of charging a Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT), potential licensing revenue, and clear processes for handling complaints and enforcement through established bylaws.
No timeline was given as to when the report would be brought back to council.