This remote B.C. island hopes a tax on short-term rentals will solve its housing crisis

Heather Smith has lived on Cortes Island for four years, and in that time she’s been forced to move four times after her rent was raised each time. 

“Some people move every six months,” she said of the remote community, whose population of around 1,200 can double during the summer as tourists flock to the island, according to the regional district.

That popularity combined with rising rent has left many residents struggling to find suitable homes, with a 2019 report saying more than a third of housing on Cortes — one of the Discovery Islands northeast of Vancouver Island — is now tourist accommodation.

recent housing survey conducted by the community found 10 per cent of residents are

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