Research
An Overview of Airbnb and the Hotel Sector in Canada: A Focus on Hosts with Multiple Units
In May 2017, the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) retained CBRE to undertake a research study of publicly available data to examine and compare the operation of the hotel and the “sharing accommodation” sectors in Canada. As the key sharing accommodation platform in Canada, Airbnb’s recent levels of supply and performance have been examined in this report, along with available comparative measures for the hotel sector. Specifically, this study has examined publicly available data related to the changing landscape of the short-term rental market available on Airbnb and presents an empirical profile of multiple-unit hosts.
Developing a Modern Approach to Short-Term Rentals in a Digital Economy: A Framework for Canadian Regulators
Based on the clear and immediate need for action, the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) released best practice guidelines for regulating short-term rentals. The paper, “Developing a Modern Approach to Short-Term Rentals in a Digital Economy,” gives Canadian municipalities an analysis of regulatory developments worldwide and best practice approaches to developing a local framework.
Canadians are Concerned about the Airbnb's Impact on their Communities
The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC), released the results of a study, conducted by Nanos Research, highlighting that Canadians from coast to coast have serious reservations about the impact of short-term rentals, like Airbnb, on their communities.
Supporting Research
2019 Spring Reports of the Auditor General of Canada to the Parliament of Canada (Report 3—Taxation of E-Commerce)
The Auditor General of Canada tabled the 2019 Spring Reports on May 7, including a report on Taxation of E-Commerce. According to the report, the Canadian sales tax system did not keep pace with the rapidly evolving digital marketplace, with estimated losses of $169 million in sales tax revenues on foreign digital products and services.
Fairbnb
​Fairbnb.ca is a coalition effort that brings together groups from the regulated hotel and B&B industry with property owners, property renters, and other concerned citizens.
Fairbnb research:
Short-term rentals in Canada: The first comprehensive overview
Conducted by McGill's UPGo researchers--Jennifer Combs, Danielle Kerrigan and David Wachsmuth --the report presents a comprehensive analysis of Airbnb in Canada, with an emphasis on the interaction between the short-term rental market and long-term housing.
Measuring private short-term accommodation in Canada
Statistics Canada continuously works to ensure that economic measures reflect our reality, including new and emerging activities such as the private short-term accommodation market. The Canadian Macroeconomic Accounts have developed provisional estimates of the private short-term accommodation market in Canada, the provinces and territories. This paper outlines an innovative approach to measuring this activity using web-scrapped data. In addition to providing provisional estimates of the overall market, this paper contains detailed analysis of the largest private accommodation digital platform used in Canada. Finally, it summarizes the approach taken for incorporating the data into various macroeconomic measures, such as gross domestic product (GDP).
2019 Spring Reports of the Auditor General of Canada to the Parliament of Canada (Report 3—Taxation of E-Commerce)
The Auditor General of Canada tabled the 2019 Spring Reports on May 7, including a report on Taxation of E-Commerce. According to the report, the Canadian sales tax system did not keep pace with the rapidly evolving digital marketplace, with estimated losses of $169 million in sales tax revenues on foreign digital products and services.