Mississippi Mills council received a rare delegation at their recent meeting; a number of residents with a petition.
Residents on Montgomery Park Road in the Ramsay Ward are calling for a bylaw to prevent additional short-term rentals from operating in the area. Neighbours say an existing Airbnb has already raised concerns impacting their reasonable rights to property enjoyment.
Joe Sciponi listed some of the problems he and his neighbours have encountered since the short term rental opened.
Sciponi noted that the small neighbourhood of 28 residences is made up primarily of permanent homeowners who want to enjoy peace and quiet on evenings and weekends. He added that property thefts occurred on the first weekend of the rental’s operation.
He said a bylaw restricting future short-term rentals would help preserve the character of the community and reduce ongoing disruptions.
Currently, Mississippi Mills has no short-term rental control bylaw. Council informally supported such a regulation at the meeting. Staff reported that public consultation would be required and with 2026 being an election year, they predicted nothing would be ready for a vote until the first quarter of 2027.
Council advised the neighbours, in the meantime, to report any bylaw or provincial infractions as they occurred.
Story by Brian Turner
