Man who alerted City of Vancouver about fake Airbnb business licences has FOI complaint

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The man who alerted Vancouver city hall to the problem of fake business licences being posted by Airbnb hosts, is once again levelling criticism at the city.

Rohana Rezel feels city staff are reluctant to release information.

Earlier this year, Rezel approached city hall with software that would detect Airbnb cheats – but he was turned down.

Now, he wants to see what kinds of discussions happened behind the scenes, and has applied, through a Freedom of Information request, for documents, briefing notes, and power point presentations that the city may have on him and his proposal.

He’s angry the city is charging him $262.50 to conduct the search.

“When they told me that my request for my own information was not personal information, I was dumbfounded. I was at a loss for words.”

Under the Freedom of Information Act, a public body can charge for locating records, unless it’s for the applicant’s personal information.

The City of Vancouver says it’s not clear whether there is information about Rezel, which is why the search came with a fee.

“When it comes to getting information about myself or information about matters that concern the public interest, I’m hitting a brick wall,” says Rezel.

He is aware he could have appealed the fee through the Information and Privacy Commissioner, but he says time is of the essence, given the upcoming municipal election, so he has decided to pay the fee.

“I wanted to get the information before the election, because I have a feeling that this is something that this is going to be relevant for the voting public.”

Rezel feels so strongly about his interactions with city hall, he’s decided to run for city council, under the Pro-Vancouver banner.

“I think city hall should work for the citizens, not against the citizens,” he says.