McMaster University says criticism it's not doing enough to house students 'completely off base'

For several years, McMaster University has promised a new residence will add nearly 1,400 student beds, free up in-demand rental units and help ease the affordable housing crisis gripping Hamilton.

But the Lincoln Alexander Hall proposal on Main Street West has repeatedly come up against red tape ever since McMaster first sought approval in late 2017, said Sean Van Koughnett, the university's associate vice-president and dean of students.  

"I think all of us here at McMaster, including the students, would like to see that residence up as soon as we can," Van Koughnett said in an interview. 

"Obviously we're in a situation where housing is in high demand and this will be a significant addition and by far our largest residence on campus." 

McMaster is among the post-secondary institutions across the country facing increased scrutiny for accepting more students than they can support when it comes to housing. But Van Koughnett says some initiatives are slow to get off the ground for reasons sometimes beyond McMaster's control. 

For instance, the city did not respond to McMaster's application by the deadline, sending the application to the Ontario Land Tribunal in March 2018. The city also denied McMaster's request to rezone the single-home area to allow for the 12-storey building, causing further delays. 

The tribunal eventually ruled in the university's favour.

Now McMaster is waiting on city permits to begin construction, aiming to finish in 2026. The hall will ensure all first-year students can live on campus in their first year, Van Koughnett said.

Hamilton's chief planner Steve Robichaud said for these kinds of large projects that require zoning changes, the city has to be "rigorous" in its review and consult the surrounding community.

Universities criticized for role in housing crisis

Last month, immigration minister Marc Miller said Canada is set to host around 900,000 international students this year up from 300,000 in 2013. He said if post-secondary institutions aren't able to provide housing, it puts further strain on private rental markets with high rents and low vacancies. 

Also last month, federal housing minister Sean Fraser suggested the government put a cap on the number of international students, or work with universities and colleges to ensure they're providing enough housing.

Hamilton Coun. Maureen Wilson (Ward 1) raised concerns about students finding housing in Hamilton at a committee meeting in August. 

"Because universities and colleges have not built sufficient residences, students of various means are subjected to some not very nice conditions in the private rental market," Wilson said.

"I'm looking for some assurance... that students who have moved to Hamilton or from Hamilton are not forgotten," she said.

Van Koughnett said blaming post-secondary institutions for not building enough housing or accepting too many international students is "completely off base," at least in the Hamilton context.

Along with trying to build Lincoln Alexander Hall, the university is anticipating fewer undergraduate international students this school year than in previous years, comprising about 15 per cent of the student population, he said.

However, there will be more graduate-level international students this year than in previous years, said spokesperson  Wade Hemsworth. To accommodate them, the university is set to open part of its new graduate residence at 10 Bay St. S., adding 250 beds this fall and another 350 in January. 

Colleges seeing increased demand for housing

Other post-secondary institutions in the Hamilton and Niagara region say they're also on track to increase on-campus housing. 

At Mohawk College, nearly 800 students inquired about on-campus housing for this school year, but with only one residence building at the Fennell campus, space is limited to 340 beds, said spokesperson Bill Steinburg. 

However, the college has been "proactively" trying to address the shortage and is considering leasing homes for 300 more students off-campus, he said. They'd be available in December. 

Niagara College is accepting an increasing number of international students — nearly 4,800 this year, compared to 3,100 in 2019, said spokesperson Elyse Howath. It recently announced plans to build accommodations for 1,000 students in the next four years, which would triple its on-campus housing. 

"The housing shortage issue is broad and complex, and it would be inaccurate to single out students – including International students – as the cause," she said. 

"In fact, students are among the most impacted by the shortage of affordable housing in our communities."

Meanwhile, Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., is seeing a decrease in enrolment of both domestic and international students, with over 5,800 in 2019 and 5,000 in 2023, said spokesperson Maryanne St. Denis. 

It currently has more residence spots than students.