Project Schedule

Phase 1 will focus on describing current conditions and key context related to short-term rentals in the Town of Slave Lake. This will include an assessment of the following: 

• Current Policy Context - high-level review of current policies, bylaws, staff reports, news articles, and other relevant documents that inform and govern accommodation providers (traditional Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, Motels, Resorts, etc.) 
• Data Collection on Recent Short-Term Rental Activity - obtain report from short-term rental data providers to determine the overall scale of the short-term rental market in Slave Lake covering the years of 2022 and 2023.
• Data Collection on the "Traditional Accommodation" Sector - obtain current statistics on traditional accommodation in the community and immediate surrounding. This will help describe the extent to which new accommodation options are needed, and the impact the short-term rentals can have in meeting that need (both positive and negative).
• Data on the Local Housing Market - compile high-level information describing the current state of housing availability and affordability in Town. This will assist in describing the extent to which the expansion of short-term rentals might impact the local housing market.
• Collect Insights from Stakeholder Interviews - stakeholder interviews conducted with key players in the accommodation, tourism, and housing development sector, to get a qualitative sense of current conditions, needs, and thought with respect to short-term rentals.

Using all of the data compiled above, the Consultant will create a Background Report that summarizes the current landscape and the localized pros and cons (trade-offs) associated with the possible growth of short-term rentals in Slave Lake. Material from this report will form the basis of Phase 2 (goal setting). 

In Phase 2, the Consultant (with support from Town staff) will design and distribute a community survey, compile the results and present these to Council for a decision on program goals. Key activities will include: 

• Developing a Community Survey - the survey will present key/high-level context and trade-offs as described in the Background Report (developed in Phase 1), and seek the community's feedback about these trade-offs and what goals they'd like Council to prioritize.
• Compile Results and Present to Council for Decision - compile the results of the community survey, and incorporate these - along with key context from the Background Report into a presentation and report to Council. Will be asking Council to decide on a prioritized goal/goal set for short-term regulations in the community.

In Phase 3, the Consultant will select from a wide range of possible tools and approaches to lay out one or more possible regulatory pathways that are capable of achieving the Town's goals. These regulatory pathways (options) will be presented to the community via a second survey and an open house to obtain feedback. These results will then be compiled and a final regulatory recommendation will be presented to the Town. Key activities will include: 

• Writing an Options Report - will describe one or more basic regulatory pathways (combinations or approaches and tools) that are capable of achieving the Town's goals.
• Developing a Second Community Survey - develop a simple explanations of the regulator pathway(s), including visual content and produce a second community survey to obtain feedback on the proposed regulatory pathway(s).
• Developing and Hosting an Open House - develop large-format versions of the content used in the second community survey, as well as supplemental FAQs and other communication collateral to use at an in-person open house. Consultants will be physically present to help answer questions and collect feedback.
• Compiling Engagement Results and Delivering Final Recommendations - compile the results from both the second survey and open house and use these to write a final report that contains the recommended regulatory pathway to use/incorporate into bylaw amendments.