MUN summer students fear displacement as campus looks to house athletes at 2025 Canada Games
About 200 students will need to find alternative housing
Next summer, Memorial University will close most of its residences to house more than 4,600 athletes, coaches and managers coming to St. John's for the 2025 Canada Games, displacing about 200 students who usually live on campus during the summer.
Last summer, 267 people lived on campus, and this summer there were 274. Next summer, only students with families will be permitted to live on campus in the Burton's Pond apartments, which can house 74 people.
One year out, international student Hasan Habib is concerned about finding a place to stay next summer, amid the city's ongoing housing crisis.
"I would say it's extremely precarious, especially for new students who are coming into the province to study here," said Habib.
Habib, an international student from Bangladesh, must take summer courses to graduate on time. He says he's never been able to stay in residence in the summer and finding housing elsewhere has been difficult.
International and out-of-province students tend to move to St. John's during the summer, he said.
"Finding housing at that time is especially tough," he said. "I'm trying to find fall housing right now and even that is being tough. So you can assume how bad it is for the summer."
This year, Memorial University expects to see a 10 per cent increase in new undergraduate international student permits, under the federal government's new cap on international student permit applications.
However, Habib says MUN's residences can't accommodate an increase in students.
"Students when they come in, they at least expect that residences will be available for them," he said. "I think even now, there is a wait list for some of the residence buildings for the fall semester."
Cautiously optimistic
Devon Budden, director of advocacy for the Memorial University of Newfoundland Students' Union, is also concerned about students' access to housing next summer.
"There's already a significant amount of housing precarity. I would say probably half of the people who come to me in the run of the day are experiencing housing issues," said Budden.
The university is set to be the location of the game's village. MUNSU has been negotiating with the university about the use of their spaces and services for the Canada Games.
However, Budden says the union is not willing to help if students are left without a place to stay.
"Canada Games will not be welcome in MUNSU spaces if any student is unhoused," he said, "It's imperative that everybody is cared for and looked after."
He acknowledged that MUN and Canada Games officials have said there are plans and funds in place to support students looking for housing next summer.
"As of right now, we are very cautiously optimistic. If we don't see that plan come to fruition, this is going to have to become a bigger issue."
Still planning
Jordan Wright, the head of 2025 Canada Games planning at Memorial University, says MUN has consulted the students' union and decided to prioritize family accommodations.
Wright also says there will be support for students affected by the residence closures.
"We do have an additional accommodations person that will help those who are impacted find alternate accommodations, and as always, we do have some limited emergency funds available to help students in one-off cases, whether it's with housing, or groceries or other things," said Wright.
Wright says planning is still happening and more ideas and solutions are being looked into.
"We will continue to have open dialogue with stakeholders. We had a campus engagement session this year, and it's certainly something we're looking at for next year as well," he said.
Temporary Accommodations
Karen Sherriffs, CEO of the 2025 Canada Games Host Society, said the 5,000 athletes, coaches and managers living on MUN campus will be divided over two weeks. There will be around 2,300 staying on campus each week of the Games.
"Memorial University is a key partner for us for the Games," said Sherriffs. "We're working very closely with them now on all the details and plans."
MUN's residences normally can accommodate about 1,700 people. Wright says they will increase capacity by setting up temporary bed spaces in common areas and study areas, bringing in about 550 bunk beds from Prince Edward Island, the most recent host of the Games.
In addition to the 5,000 staying at MUN, said Sherriffs, there will be major technical officials, special guests, performers, government officials and ministers, spectators and more than 5,000 volunteers.
"As a host society, our primary focus is on the care, the comfort and the experience for all those athletes that are coming so they're able to perform at their optimal best while they're here."
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