THUNDER BAY — Saying she's hearing anecdotally that "the prices are really high" for rental units, Confederation College President Kathleen Lynch wants landlords to be considerate when setting rates for students needing accommodation.
This year the school has nearly 1,600 international students.
International student enrolment has ballooned by almost 60 per cent from last year, and now makes up 43 per cent of Confederation's total student population.
In an interview Tuesday, Lynch said affordable housing is one of the key factors that influences students' decisions on where they should go to school.
She said that for the first time in 20 years, Confederation's old Sibley residence building is full, and there's a waiting list.
The college lowered its rental rate this year to help those students who wish to stay on campus, but in the larger Thunder Bay community some students have been challenged to find accommodation because the cost is much more than they can afford.
"I just would love to encourage the community to be reasonable to not take advantage of the demand," Lynch said, adding that she's been told rental prices are "really high versus last year or even a few months ago."
She hopes landlords understand that "if people don't have a good experience coming to our community," it could lead to Thunder Bay losing important contributors to the local economy.
"I think we all need to be community-minded. The last time we did a study — and it was based on lower enrolment numbers then by international students – Confederation College students bring in over $700 million to our community, and at Lakehead it's even higher. So when you look at that kind of contribution to our economic situation here, you do not want to jeopardize that."
Since the study she was referring to was done at least two or three years ago, an updated study later this year is expected to demonstrate an even larger economic impact.
Ontario colleges are increasingly relying on international students to support their budgets and programming.
Colleges are receiving more revenue than ever from international students
According to a recent report on the state of post-secondary education in Canada, colleges across Ontario now receive more revenue from tuition from students from India alone than from the provincial government.
Lynch said domestic students are subsidized by the province but international students bear the full tuition cost, which she said is probably three times the domestic tuition fee.
She said without the participation of students from overseas, the college likely would be unable to offer all of its 65 different programs at a time when the college-age population in Northwestern Ontario is declining at a rate of five to six per cent a year.
The president of the student union at Confederation College, Robin Gathercole, said he believes students across the board, both domestic and international, are having issues finding clean, affordable housing.
Across Ontario, he's hearing that "there's a lot of false information being given to international students more specifically regarding how they're supposed to pay their rent, or how increases are going up."
Gathercole also said there are stories of landlords threatening students with eviction or deportation if they don't pay certain amounts.
At Lakehead University, a spokesperson for the student union stated "certainly rates have gone up, [and] availability has gone down."
"For the first time in about a quarter of a century, "Lakehead's residences are completely full at the Thunder Bay and Orillia campuses," interim president Brandon Amyot told TBnewswatch.
Amyot said the tight housing market has led to some students renting an Airbnb or a hotel room, or even sleeping in cars.
"We've heard stories of international students being asked to pay a year upfront, and then being ghosted by another tenant or by landlords. And we've heard stories of absentee landlords or people who are taking advantage of international students."
Amyot said LUSU is working on a social media campaign and communications initiative around ensuring that international students know their rights as a tenant.
"As both of our campuses at Lakehead University continue to grow, we really hope to see housing prioritized, and housing that's safe and affordable, and ensures that students are taken care of."
Amyot said the CFS is working on more national and provincial lobbying efforts to ensure students are properly housed, but added "Trying to find housing in a new country is extremely difficult...and I think it's really important that the good folks of Thunder Bay pull together to try and provide those supports and safe connections for international students."
Lakehead 's projected enrolment this fall is 6,500 at the Thunder Bay campus, of which over 1,500 are international students.
