Are international students to blame for the housing crisis?: Editorials

With the continued crunch on the housing market, some have turned their attention to the impact of increased international student enrolments on housing. The Globe reports that Canada’s immigration policies and population growth plans have come under scrutiny in light of the housing shortage. Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller indicated that the federal government is open to reconsidering international student enrolments, but is unable to reduce immigration targets. In an article for CIC, Steve Pomeroy (Carleton University) noted that international students put pressure on Canada’s rental market and called for the federal government, developers, and institutions to improve housing and housing conditions. In an article for Castanet, Adam Wilson uses the case of the University of British Columbia Okanagan to argue that students are not the root cause of the Okanagan region’s housing crisis.