Could a Cap on International Students in Ottawa be the answer to Housing Crisis?
According to a recent report from TD economics Canada’s housing shortfall could widen by another 500,000 units within just 2 years if Canadian immigration continues at its current pace.
It will come as no surprise then that federal Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Minister Sean Fraser, previously Canada’s immigration minister until last month’s cabinet shuffle, says Canada needs to at least consider a cap on the number of international students in Canada to ease the pressure on the housing market.
“I think that’s one of the options that we ought to consider,” federal Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Minister Sean Fraser told reporters as the Liberal cabinet gathered in Charlottetown on Monday.
“I think we need to do some serious thinking here.”
With more than 800,000 international students last year Fraser believes there needs to be some responsibility on the side of the post secondary institutions to ensure there are places for these students to live in what is a current tight rental market.
Current rising prices to buy or rent and a shortage of homes to meet the current growing demand are an ongoing issue facing Canadians currently looking for homes.
With an increase in population Canada has been unable to meet that surge with affordable housing.
