The QS housing critic says eight per cent of the student population lived in campus residences; 62 per cent made less than $20,000 annually.
Québec solidaire is calling upon the Legault government to build more student housing in an effort to deal with the lack of affordable units on the local rental market.
QS housing critic Andrés Fontecilla noted that the housing crisis is hitting the student population hard and is worried they might give up or curtail their studies because of it. The MNA added that only eight per cent of the student population lived in campus residences and 62 per cent of that population made less than $20,000 annually.
Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Montreal Gazette, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
Thanks for signing up!
A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of Montreal Gazette Headline News will soon be in your inbox.
The opposition party is proposing that tax breaks offered for the construction of university housing be expanded to all forms of post-secondary student housing including CEGEPs, a move Fontecilla said would favour the rapid development of the student housing market.
The MNA cited the example of Sherbrooke, which has two universities and two colleges and where the costs for local housing have exploded while the vacancy rate plummeted. He also mentioned the problems encountered by students attending classes in the Saguenay region, who must contend with inflated rents, illegal rental deposits and unsanitary living conditions.
-
Montreal opposition slams city for stalled social housing projects
-
Plante announces committee to fast-track construction of affordable housing
-
Affordable housing a growing concern in trendy Verdun
