BUDGET 2018: BC to provide $450 million to build 5,000 new student housing beds

A new initiative by the provincial government to help address the housing supply shortage in BC, particularly in Metro Vancouver, focuses on building new student housing beds.

BC Minister of Finance Carole James announced today $450 million has been set aside to help public post-secondary institutions construct at least 5,000 new beds of student housing.

This fund will allow post-secondary institutions to borrow money, with the first $259 million to be made available over the next three years. A portion of the fund will also be allocated to institutions as grants.

The provincial government estimates 3,000 additional student beds will be built through grants, self-financing by institutions, and other partnerships, creating a total of about 8,000 new student beds.

By funding the construction of new student housing, the initiative will free up rental housing in tight markets, provide students with affordable rental housing at their place of study, and reduce the load on transportation infrastructure.

.@Dave_Eby Vancouver real estate market is out of control. Students lining up to see $850 Bachelor #vanpoli #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/GwgmmyqgLG

— Dario Garousian (@DarioGarousian) August 30, 2016

“Post-secondary institutions, universities, and colleges have not been able to build student housing in this province in the way that they can in most other provinces and in a way that they should be able to,” Alex McGowan, former chair of the Alliance of BC Students, told Daily Hive in a previous interview. “And that has caused a lack of student housing, which means the students are living elsewhere.”

“What we’ve found is that there are so many post-secondary students that if we were to house just a small percentage of them on campus we’d actually significantly easing the burden they’d place on the housing market.”

A 2016 study by the Alliance found that if post-secondary institutions in Metro Vancouver built enough housing for students that request on-campus accommodations, such a collective initiative could free up as much as 13,000 units for the general rental housing market.

Student housing is part of the BC NDP’s new 30-point plan to tackle the housing affordability crisis.

See also

• 16 things that really affect you announced in today’s BC Budget 2018
• BUDGET 2018: MSP Premiums in BC will be eliminated starting in 2020
• BUDGET 2018: Foreign buyers tax increasing and new speculation tax coming this year
• BUDGET 2018: BC commits $6.5 billion to build 114,000 affordable homes
• BUDGET 2018: 86,000 families to receive up to $1,250 per month for childcare
• BUDGET 2018: BC government announces big hikes to sales tax on luxury cars
• BUDGET 2018: 1,900 new campsites being created across BC
• BUDGET 2018: $1.18 billion in transit funding for Metro Vancouver over 3 years
• BUDGET 2018: Fares on BC Ferries lowered and frozen to increase affordability