Well, they don't _have_ to rent long-term but if the unit is kept unoccupied, then they will be hit with the Empty Homes Tax in Vancouver, for instance. So yeah, they are forcing the landlords hand here.

And yes, I agree the house problem is a supply-vs-demand issue. And this is not addressing the core problem. But in a place with extremely low rent vacancy [2], having units removed from the market for STR isn't helping.

[1]: https://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/empty-homes-t... [2]: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/rent-prices-rose-in-2023-1....