Pooben Narayanen
Africa-Press – Mauritius. Canada is the second largest country in the world; however, it is facing a very serious housing crisis. Whilst there’s enough space there aren’t enough houses being built to meet demand.
Most of the country’s population is concentrated in the major urban centres such as Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, etc. These are the economic centres of the country and home to many leading universities and post-secondary colleges.
They are also magnets for Canadians looking for work and to study at their country’s tertiary education institutions; the same applies to the hundreds of thousands of immigrants and foreign students that the country takes in every year.
The result has been more demand for homes to buy and rent than can be supplied. This shortage means prices continue to increase to the point where they are unaffordable for most people.
In Toronto, which is home to the University of Toronto, York University, Toronto Metropolitan University and other colleges, a shared room is going for 1000 Canadian dollars a month, approximately 33,000 Mauritian rupees.
Shared means that the kitchen and bathroom will be shared. In a smaller city such as Winnipeg, Manitoba, rents near the universities are around half that of Toronto for a student. Attractive as that may be, the city is further away from Mauritius and there are additional travel costs that must be taken into consideration.
The rising costs and low supply have led to some foreign students finding themselves homeless, as was the case for a student from India studying at a college in Kitchener, Ontario, who had the unfortunate experience of living under a bridge for four days until he was rescued by fellow students.
In Quebec, students from West Africa who were accepted at the University of Quebec in Trois Rivieres found themselves living in motels and Airbnbs as there was no accommodation for them.
Some of the students decided to move to other Francophone countries for their studies. The solutions seem to be few and far between, and priority is given to Canadians.
The universities and colleges which are experiencing a major influx of income from foreign students are trying to find a solution. Meanwhile, classes have started across Canada, but the situation remains unchanged.
The government is considering whether it needs to cap the number of international students being allowed in the country. In 2022, the country took in 800,000 plus students, a 33% increase from the previous year.
This year it is projected to hit the 900,000 plus mark. Immigration has also increased and the resulting sudden increase in population has put pressure on the housing market and the healthcare system. If you are planning on studying in Canada, there are couple of things to bear in mind.
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