Sun Peaks Resort LLP (SPR) recently launched the Sun Peaks Community Lodge to grow the long-term rental market for employees in town.

Resort communities such as Sun Peaks often have a problem meeting demand for employee housing, said Christina Antoniak, director of communications for SPR. 

Tony Macdonald is the general manager of accommodation for Sun Peaks Grand Hotel and Conference Centre (SPG) and oversees SPR accommodation as well. According to him, the resort has more than doubled pillows for employee accommodation in the last four years. 

Still, they’re unable to house their target 80 per cent of staff, seasonal and permanent, for this winter season based on estimates.

With the addition of the West Bowl lift this year, staffing needs will grow as more people will be visiting the village.

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“We do operate staff accommodation at a loss every year, this is not a moneymaker for us,” Macdonald said. “We lose about a half a million dollars a year simply in this operation.”

The goal of the community lodge project is to get the 33 permanent staff currently living in employee housing down to six, he explained. To help do this, SPR is offering incentives to landlords.

“We have a choice of a season’s winter pass, eight single day winter tickets or an $800 gift card,” he said of resort incentives. Local businesses can opt into this program as well, providing their own incentives to landlords renting to their employees.

The Sun Peaks Community Lodge website was officially launched at around noon on June 24, with an announcement made later that night at a community engagement session. Prior to this, Antoniak said three or four landlords had already stepped forward to apply.

The total of applications now stands at six. 

When landlords apply to have a listing posted, someone from the community lodge team will investigate the property to ensure it meets requirements regarding fire codes, proper bedrooms and a proper bedroom to tenant ratio.

When employees apply for a unit, Antoniak said the resort’s internal community lodge team will receive the application and pass it along to the homeowner or landlord.

There are auto conditions on the form that will block non-permanent employees from applying, as well as ones who list their affiliated company as one that isn’t involved in the program, Macdonald said. If someone isn’t honest about being permanently employed with the resort on their application, the community lodge team would ensure the potential landlord is aware that they wouldn’t receive the incentive if they choose to rent to this person.

“We’re not going to be involved in the selection of tenants,” Macdonald said. “That’s for the landlords to make their choice on who they want to rent to.”

“We know the quality and caliber of our employees, especially those who have been with us for a long time,” Antoniak said. She hopes this will ease any hesitation coming from landlords in renting to new people.

When the rental agreement is in place, Macdonald said they require a copy of the tenancy agreement.

Partnering businesses

SPR connected with businesses through Tourism Sun Peaks, Macdonald said.

Many businesses are considering partnering, but so far only Bottoms Bar & Grill and Mountain Man Adventures have fully come on board.

Taryn Schwanke, co-owner of Mountain Man Adventures, told SPIN that it was an obvious choice to partner.

“If my staff don’t end up choosing to use that accommodation system, then it doesn’t cost me anything,” she explained. “Definitely some years have been harder than others to try and find housing for staff. Hopefully, this will make things easier.”

On behalf of other businesses, she can’t speak on their thoughts, but knows that during the engagement process, some had unanswered questions.

“I think they’re [other businesses] concerned about the competition to a certain extent,” she said. “Is everybody going to just want the ski pass and not look to a smaller business?”

“A lot of the businesses that are full-year often have condos, or townhouses and stuff that they’re able to rent out for their staff,” she said. Being a seasonal business that runs in the winter, they’re unable to offer the same.

Mountain Man Adventures put up an $800 gift card for their excursions she said, adding that the experience may be appealing to people because it’s new and different. 

The incentives the businesses would provide to landlords renting to their employees via the community lodge program could take the form of retail from their store or gifts cards, Macdonald said. 

“With local business partners, we’re still open to anyone that wants to step forward and jump in and join the program,” Macdonald said, adding that there’s no close date on that.