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

NDP clean sweep in both by-elections

NDP clean sweep in both by-elections
Community activist Joan Phillip won Vancouver-Mount Pleasant for the N-D-P with almost 68 per cent of the vote.  N-D-P candidate Ravi Parmar won Langford-Juan de Fuca with 53 per cent of the vote

NDP clean sweep in both by-elections

Surrey weekend car crash kills 2 people

Surrey weekend car crash kills 2 people
Surrey R-C-M-P say the crash happened early Sunday, when a Volkswagen collided with a Hyundai sedan while both were northbound on 176 Street near 32 Avenue. Police say the crash sent both cars into a water-filled ditch beside the road, and two people in the Hyundai have died while two others from the same vehicle are injured, one critically.

Surrey weekend car crash kills 2 people

Targeted shooting in Burnaby leaves 1 injured

Targeted shooting in Burnaby leaves 1 injured
The incident is believed to have occurred inside a parked vehicle near Halifax Street and Woodway Place in Burnaby around 2 p.m. No victims, suspects, or related vehicles were on scene when police arrived. However, the victim, a 20-year-old-man, was treated in hospital for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds after seeking medical care.

Targeted shooting in Burnaby leaves 1 injured

2 bystanders being praised for quick action in preventing stabbing

2 bystanders being praised for quick action in preventing stabbing
Mounties are praising two bystanders in Kelowna who jumped into action and disarmed a man who allegedly stabbed a woman at a bus station. Mounties say two "good samaritans" were physically detaining the suspect when an officer arrived to arrest the man.  

2 bystanders being praised for quick action in preventing stabbing

Vancouver needs a 9% annual property tax hike to maintain its fiscal outlook

Vancouver needs a 9% annual property tax hike to maintain its fiscal outlook
The report says the outlook for operating expenditures is driven by factors, including higher fixed costs to provide existing service levels, the renewal of infrastructure and public amenities, Metro Vancouver levies, and the implementation of key initiatives from the 2023 budget, such as the hiring of additional police officers.'

Vancouver needs a 9% annual property tax hike to maintain its fiscal outlook

B.C. warns of summer drought, asks people to conserve water

B.C. warns of summer drought, asks people to conserve water
A statement from the Forests Ministry says recent rains have provided some relief in parts of B.C., but it hasn't been enough to make up the deficit. B.C.'s drought map shows much of the northeastern corner of the province is at drought level four on the five-level scale, meaning conditions are extremely dry with communities and ecosystems likely to experience adverse impacts.

B.C. warns of summer drought, asks people to conserve water