Ryerson students want a solution to the housing crisis, according to a new poll.
A poll conducted by the Ryerson School of Journalism found that 38 per cent of students think
affordable housing is the most pressing issue in the city of Toronto.
Brooke Marchand, a first-year student, is one of them. Marchand is living in a one-bedroom apartment in Little Italy and is paying $900 a month in rent.
She is relying on a loan to live in Toronto.
“It will affect me in the future. When I get out of school I’ll be worrying about paying that off,” said Marchand.
Although Ryerson offers on-campus housing for students, it is not exactly affordable.
Hoem, Ryerson’s newest residence building, is open to students of all years. However, it is no exception to the high prices that come with living in Toronto.
The cheapest option for a student in Hoem is $1440 per month for a three-bedroom apartment. However, students must pay for utilities and food on top of that.
Emily Mackey, a second year student, lived on residence last year, and this year she is renting out a unit in a basement with two roommates.
Paying $800 in rent every month, Mackey feels she is not getting her money’s worth.
“I feel like I’m sacrificing the quality of where I’m living, but it’s all I can afford,” said Mackey.
If students want to see a significant change to the lack of affordable housing in Toronto, they need to look to the municipal government, said Lyndsey Rolheiser, an assistant professor at the Ryerson School of Urban and Regional Planning.
Although there is a lot of condo supply near Ryerson, “those prices are still out of students’ reach,” said Rolheiser.
One solution to this problem is inclusionary zoning units, this is when a certain number of units are listed below market value.
Rolheiser said that she would like to see a certain amount of those units being set aside for students only. Rolheiser said it is up to the municipal government to turn the housing crisis around.
The two front-runners in the Toronto mayoral election, John Tory and Jennifer Keesmaat, have opposing views when it comes to an affordable housing plan.
Keesmaat’s website outlines a plan committing to develop 100,000 affordable units on city-owned land over a span of 10 years.
Tory, however, has not mention of housing on his website. He has criticized Keesmaat’s plan, saying it is unrealistic. He said his target is 40,000 new units over a 12-year span.
Last year, the federal government announced Canada’s National Housing Strategy, which will spend $40-billion on housing over the next 10 years.
However, it is up to the municipal government to decide how this money will help students.
Rolheiser said she would like to see some of this money used for student grants that will increase over time as the cost of living increases.
Rolheiser urged students to vote in the upcoming election, on Oct. 22.
Ryerson School of Journalism students conducted in-person surveys about Toronto election issues with 1,081 undergraduate and graduate Ryerson students in October prior to the municipal election. The results are considered accurate to within plus or minus three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
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