More tourism-reliant Kelowna business operators call for short-term rental changes

The restrictions, which went into effect in May 2024, meant the Aqua Development would not be permitted to operate on a short-term rental basis as originally intended.

When the owners of The Mission Creamery in Kelowna, B.C., decided to launch an ice cream business,  the location they chose was a strategic one.

“We knew we wanted to be a big part of the community.  We also knew we needed to be in an area where there would be short term rentals,” said co-owner Francine Horne.

The location Horne and her husband Mike chose was at the newly-constructed Aqua Waterfront Village in the city’s Lower Mission area.

The development was zoned for short-term rentals but midway through construction, the province implemented new restrictions on short-term rentals in an effort to address the housing crisis.

The restrictions, which went into effect in May 2024, meant the Aqua Development would not be permitted to operate on a short-term rental basis as originally intended.

“Panic. Panic set in,” Horne said.

Horne said they quickly had to pivot in their marketing and in their product by frequently changing ice cream flavours to keep locals coming back.

However, they can’t help but wonder what business would have been like had those restrictions not gone into place.