To bring some clarity to the City's involvement:
In 2017, it passed a short-term rental licensing and registration by-law as well as a zoning by-law that would permit short-term rentals in certain residential zones.
The STR by-law does not end STRs in any building, but restricts them to a person's principal residence, in theory eliminating commercial and multiple-unit rentals. I anticipate many individuals will not obey the by-law -- the primary enforcement mechanism is the City's power to demand STR companies (e.g. AirBnB) delist unregistered STRs, thereby depriving them of business.
Portions of City's STR zoning by-law were appealed to the OMB and are therefore not in force. The appeal was scheduled to be heard at the end of 2018, but certain appellants requested an adjournment and the Board provided its first availability for hearing in August, 2019, almost a year later. The City had no control over the dates given by the Board, which is overwhelmed.
While the appeal is pending, the City cannot realistically enact the STR registration by-law, so we are faced with the status quo.