2023-08-22 23:29:47
To help a few students, the Collège Marie-de-l’Incarnation put part of its boarding school back into operation.
Unoccupied for eight years now, the Collège Marie-de-l’Incarnation (CMI) boarding school will resume service. These are 16 rooms that have been renovated to accommodate students from Collège Laflèche, who had to find a plan B, since their residence will not be accessible at least for the next session.
“We had always kept some of our buildings in good condition. We thought maybe there was something to do,” said CMI director general Elisabeth Jourdain.
The director of Collège Laflèche, Luc Pellerin, added that 16 students, out of the 30 who were to be in the residence, will be accommodated at the boarding school.
Renovations have begun, and students will be able to move into their rooms in two weeks.
In total, there are nearly 70 rooms in the CMI boarding school. It is possible that other work will be done in the coming years to help students, while the vacancy rate is less than 1% in Trois-Rivières.
The number of international students also has an impact on housing demand. They are also more numerous than ever to come to study in the country. Amid the housing crisis, federal housing minister Sean Fraser has suggested capping admissions for international students.
At the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières (UQTR), about 15% of students come from outside the country this year, for a total of 2,300 out of a student population of 15,300.
“We are more likely to think that a student who does not come to us will be one less graduate for the labor needs that we have, so we are not there at all,” said underlined the head of communications at UQTR, Jean-François Hinse.
Again this year, a hundred students from UQTR asked for help in finding accommodation.
If it was possible, a few years ago, to rent a room shortly before the start of the school year, the situation has completely changed.
“Before the pandemic, until the last minute, a student could show up nearby, take a quick 15-20 minute walk, and find an apartment that was within walking distance of campus just before the start of the session, but that’s no longer possible,” continued Mr. Hinse.
UQTR has also launched an appeal to its students and staff to find accommodation for its students.
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