Impending Legislative Changes In The Tourist Accommodation Industry

Adopted on December 1, 2015, and put forward by Tourism Minister Dominique Vien, Bill 67 (hereinafter "Bill") was drafted in response to the demand for change by tourism accommodation stakeholders. It will come into effect at a date to be determined by the government and essentially aims to amend the certification process, to foster the implementation of municipal regulations with respect to urban planning and to provide a standard framework for online temporary rental service platforms.

The first noteworthy change is the addition of the term tourist to the Act respecting tourist accommodation establishments (CQLR, c. E-14.2, hereinafter the Act), which will certainly prove important since the definition diverges slightly from the standard meaning. The Act defines a tourist as a "... person who takes a leisure or business trip, or a trip to carry out remunerated work, of not less than one night nor more than one year outside the municipality where the person's