The District of North Vancouver has sunk plans for a floating sauna business based in Deep Cove.
Council voted unanimously July 21 to uphold staff’s denial of a business licence for Sisu Swim Sauna. The business was modelled off of Scandanavian spas, marketing hydrotherapy and cold plunges on Indian Arm.
The pontoon’s owner, Nathan Morris, had been seeking the licence for his rented waterfront home on Strathcona Road, where district bylaw staff said the property’s private wharf was “unlawfully being used” to load and unload customers. In addition, the business was using the district’s public wharfs “in contravention of district bylaws,” a staff report noted.
According to the report, Morris has been ticketed 55 times by bylaw officers, one of which was paid, six of which are outstanding and the remainder are being disputed.
“Despite the numerous warnings and tickets issued by district bylaw staff, the applicant persists in unlawfully using the district’s public wharves for the operation of his sauna boat business. Nathan Morris is fully aware of the regulations against commercial use of public facilities yet shows a complete disregard for such regulations,” the staff report states.
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority also confirmed to the district that Morris did not have an agreement to allow the Sisu Swim Sauna to be moored within the port’s jurisdiction and that commercial use of private docks was not permitted.
In May, district staff wrote to Morris to deny his application for a business licence. Morris was given the chance to appeal directly to council on July 21. At that meeting, Morris told council that the Sisu Swim Sauna is simply a bareboat charter and that he does not have control over where his clients go to load or unload.
“It’s incorrect that I applied to operate a pontoon boat business from my home. I don’t operate a pontoon home business from my home so it’s debatable to me as to whether I need a business licence at all,” he said. “I don’t operate any business…. I answer emails for a pleasure craft, which I have available for rent, much like any rental boat.”
Morris also called out district staff for pursuing the matter with his landlord.
“The business licence department is really having a huge effect on where I live and my livelihood and I’d like to be able to answer emails at my home,” he said. “I just don’t want pressure on my landlord to evict me or to make it difficult for me to stay there.”
Council members, however, were unmoved and voted unanimously to uphold staff’s denial of a business licence.
Coun. Lisa Muri said the purpose of the bylaws is to create a level playing field for all businesses and that district staff are always available to help educate entrepreneurs.
“We have a number of businesses that work very hard, spend a significant amount of time going through red tape because that’s part of the process, unfortunately, and I know it’s painful sometimes, but it is part of the process,” she said. “The safety of clients under the bylaws and the policies that we put in place to keep people that are visiting the area safe [are] very important.”
Mayor Mike Little said he had empathy for Morris and added that he had further concerns about the “undue amount of pressure” an applicant may face because they have a residence in North Vancouver.
“While I am going to uphold the staff denial, I do want to make sure that we’re not putting undue pressure on our locally based businesses versus businesses in other communities,” he said. “How different would it be if their home address was in Burnaby, and would they be treated differently than if it’s registered as the District of North Vancouver?”
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