UVic Tentlife? A virtual housing discussion with President Hall & BC Government Ministers Eby & Rankin.

For many students, right after first year (if not sooner), there is a rude awakening regarding housing in Victoria.

Unless you have a specific connection to a landlord, or your friends already have lined up a place, you just might, unfortunately, join the ranks of other students anxiously browsing the Facebook group UVic Off Campus housing, Craigslist, or Used Victoria hoping to find a place to live.

Then, this usually evolves into numerous viewings, constantly scanning ads for new rental listings, and a lot of stress caused by the uncertainty of being successfully chosen by a landlord due to the sizeable demand for housing. Having a plan, knowing resources, and thinking of alternatives can help.

Leases generally last a year, so it is unlikely to find housing for only the 8-month school year. As such, many students find it easier to proactively sign a new lease for the summer as an alternative to competing with the many students looking for a lease that begins in the fall.

Another alternative is to rent an apartment, which solves many issues, but the Victoria rental market’s prices mean many students would need to rely on parental support to afford this option and not everyone can do that.

Yayyy…. well.. most people do figure something out, but it causes a lot of stress and anxiety for a problem that is all too well-known. This is what prompted the recent calls to action for affordable and available housing with students taking to petitions and social media to aggregate their voices.

In response to this, President Hall will be hosting a virtual Town Hall discussion and Q&A on housing policy with special guests

• The Honourable David Eby, Q.C., BC Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing and
• The Honourable Murray Rankin, Q.C., Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation and MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head

Details are as follows:

Housing: A Virtual Discussion with Ministers Eby and Rankin

Thursday, February 3, 2022

1:00 – 2:30 PM

Online (Zoom Webinar)

Register here  

Why should you attend?

Speaking from experience as an out-of-province student couldn’t find a place to live in Victoria last semester and, as a result, had to take all my classes online, here are 3 reasons you should attend:

1. Your voice goes straight to the top – imagine you are on a customer service call, you ask to speak to the manager, then their manager, and you end up with the CEO. This discussion is like that…… you have a chance to share your thoughts directly with the people who make housing decisions.

2. If you are a first-year student, or even if you are graduating and want to live/work full time in Victoria, attending and speaking up could make things easier for your own future. Add in the rest of your friends and peers and it will be worth attending.

3. Put faces to the problem. It’s a lot easier for a person to read a report and see that many students are having a “hard time,” but that might not really hit home until people share their personal experiences. Have you had a hard time with housing? Were you just generally stressed about it? Come and share your experience, so we don’t only see a vocal minority.

I hope to see you there!