Norfolk County Council has voted 5–4 to move ahead with a proposed Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) in principle, a levy that would apply to short-term overnight stays in the community.
The motion was introduced by Mayor Amy Martin during a Council-in-Committee meeting and signals that council is open to the idea, but that significant work remains before any tax is implemented.
Mayor Martin stressed that additional public consultation and policy development will be required before the MAT could come into effect.
She spoke about why she was putting the motion on the floor and why she supports the MAT tax.
Several councillors, including some who voted against the motion, said they did not oppose the concept of the tax itself, but had concerns about the timing and the lack of clarity around how the program would be structured.
Council emphasized that the MAT has only been approved “in principle” and that no money will be collected until further decisions are made.
Since the vote, Councillor Alan Duthie has addressed misinformation about the MAT tax on social media. He shared a post clarifying several key points about the council decision.
You can read his full comments here.
The vote comes amid strong public reaction, including an online petition launched last week calling for the idea to be scrapped.
More than 1,400 people have signed the petition, citing worries about the impact on tourism operators, accommodations, and visitors.
Business owner Ray Ferris, who launched the petition, provided the following comment:
“This vote still needs to be ratified by the full Council, and we’ll continue engaging with Councillors to shed more light on the real-world impacts of a Municipal Accommodation Tax on Norfolk’s tourism economy.”
Under the proposal outlined in the staff report, the MAT would apply only to overnight accommodations of 30 days or less, such as hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, and short-term rentals. Tents and traditional campers would not be included, while clarification is still being sought on how glamping sites would be treated under provincial rules.
If implemented, staff estimate the MAT could generate roughly $700,000 annually for Norfolk County.
At least 50 percent of that revenue would be required to go toward tourism marketing, with the remaining portion used for tourism-related infrastructure and services such as beach maintenance, washrooms, signage, and event support.
The motion passed with support from Mayor Amy Martin, Deputy Mayor Adam Veri, and councillors Alan Duthie, Linda Vandendriessche, and Chris Van Paassen.
Voting against the motion were councillors Mike Columbus, Tom Masschaele, Kim Huffman, and Doug Brunton.
The MAT discussion took place during a Council-in-Committee meeting, meaning the decision is not yet final and must still be ratified at a future council meeting.
Council is expected to continue reviewing the proposal, including public consultation and policy development, before determining whether or when the tax will move forward.
A full recording of the meeting is available in the link below.
Key timestamps include:
• 2:16:00 – MAT presentation begins
• 2:29:00 – Questions on the presentation
• 3:00:00 – Staff report on the MAT
• 3:07:00 – Questions for staff
• 3:15:00 – Motion introduced and debate begins