Close X
Thursday, December 5, 2024
ADVT 
National

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

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 17 Aug, 2023 09:45 AM
  • NDP calls on feds to give study permits to institutions with 'credible' housing plan

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."

MORE National ARTICLES

Thousands mourn Sikh leader's funeral

Thousands mourn Sikh leader's funeral
Thousands of mourners from the Sikh community descended upon the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey on Sunday morning, to pay respects to the Gurdwara president, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar was shot mutliple times a week ago in the parking lot of the Gurdwara and killed in his truck.

Thousands mourn Sikh leader's funeral

Advocates urge B.C. leaders to halt planned evictions at Abbotsford, B.C., tent camp

Advocates urge B.C. leaders to halt planned evictions at Abbotsford, B.C., tent camp
The BC Civil Liberties Association and Pivot Legal Society want Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon to stop any evictions at the Lonzo Park encampment, located on provincially owned land originally intended as a park-and-ride in Abbotsford. The letter reminds Kahlon that several B.C. Supreme Court rulings have found forcible eviction is illegal when other housing options are inadequate.  

Advocates urge B.C. leaders to halt planned evictions at Abbotsford, B.C., tent camp

Man in hospital with serious injuries, IIO called in

Man in hospital with serious injuries, IIO called in
A man is in hospital with serious injuries and B-C's independent police watchdog -- the Independent Investigations Office -- has been called to the scene. The I-I-O says police say they were called to a report of a potentially impaired driver on Highway 1 through West Vancouver and told investigators there was an exchange of gunfire as they arrived.

Man in hospital with serious injuries, IIO called in

Sunshine Coast shooting victim identified

Sunshine Coast shooting victim identified
Investigators say a 56-year-old from Sechelt died from multiple gunshot wounds early Thursday morning. The victim was found outside a residence in Halfmoon Bay and died at the scene.

Sunshine Coast shooting victim identified

Abbotsford home invasion, 3 arrested

Abbotsford home invasion, 3 arrested
Police in Abbotsford, B-C, have arrested three suspects in connection with a home invasion this week. R-C-M-P say officers responded to a call Friday afternoon in the 33-thousand block of George Ferguson Way area.

Abbotsford home invasion, 3 arrested

Navinder Gill enters guilty plea to second degree murder

Navinder Gill enters guilty plea to second degree murder
Homicide investigators say now 40-year-old Navinder Gill is now waiting for a date to be set for his sentencing hearing. Police say 40-year-old Harpreet Kaur Gill was found stabbed on the evening of Dec. 7, 2022, and died of her injuries after being taken to hospital.

Navinder Gill enters guilty plea to second degree murder