October 11, 2016
For 30 years the boxy, Second Empire-style building at 180 Sherbourne St. operated as a licensed rooming house for some of Toronto’s neediest residents. Today, a vintage chandelier hangs in the ground-floor lobby. Nearby is a welcome sign, checkout policy and display rack filled with maps and brochures about local attractions. Airbnb says its hosts are regular people sharing their homes for a bit of extra income with guests seeking an “authentic” travel experience. Airbnb’s popularity has jumped dramatically in Toronto in the past two years, but critics say it is doing so based on a “sharing” myth — at the same time as it cuts into scarce available rentals and creates unfair competition for the heavily regulated hospitality industry….
Source: https://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2016/10/11/rooming-house-conversions-worry-housing-advocates.html
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