NDP calls on feds to give study permits to institutions with ‘credible’ housing plan

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This article was published 17/08/2023 (1114 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh announced a plan to address student housing shortages on Thursday.

The party is calling on the federal government to allocate student permits to post-secondary institutions that demonstrate they have a credible and affordable housing plan.

The proposal comes as the number of international students enrolled in Canada skyrockets, putting more pressure on housing shortages.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press that the federal government is reconsidering international student flows, particularly since some students have been victims of fraud.

“Landlords are asking for a whole year’s worth of rent as a deposit,” Singh said.

“What student can come up with that type of liquidity? It’s impossible.”

Singh is also calling on the federal government to establish a funding model to get more student housing built, which would see the federal government, provinces and territories and post-secondary institutions contributing money in equal parts.

He said Ottawa should incentivize partnerships to help convert empty office spaces for residential use, including for dormitory-style student housing.

“We have to tackle this problem,” he said.

Singh highlighted a Toronto project that was a collaboration between a not-for-profit organization and businesses, which he said will house more than 500 students with “deeply affordable rents.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2023.