SO MUCH WASTED SPACE!
Every fall, I am truly in awe of the masses of students that fill the streets of Sandy Hill. The neighbourhood that is typically quite quiet throughout the summer is once again filled to the brim with students, literally. Sandy Hill and the area that is in close proximity to the University of Ottawa has a finite amount of space – we don’t get any more. However, we still need access to housing for the close to 40,000 undergraduate students who attend our university.
We’ve all heard (or lived) the horror stories about roommates who have stolen things or have left food or dirty dishes out for days at a time. Not to mention the 15-person houses where you don’t even know the people that you share a bathroom with. Students are obligated to have dignified, clean housing just like anyone else; so why are they subjected to living in anything less?
Marchand, Stanton, 90U, and Hyman Soloway are all familiar names to those on campus. But what about Brooks? I doubt that most students are too familiar with that one. The former Brooks residence is the building complex that borders King Edward Avenue which currently sits empty. That’s right… Even though there are students who have to transit across the city, we have the space on campus to house them
There are also spaces that could easily be used for infill housing. Parking lots behind Hagan Hall and behind the Leblanc residence are truly a waste of precious space. It’s time we moved to underground parking lots on campus anyways.
Only three weeks ago, an article was published, revealing that the university is still pouring tens of thousands of dollars into a building that serves little to no people U of O still pouring money into mouldy residence years after shutdown. Now I know that the renovation and reopening of the Brooks Residence would not solve the housing problem that students are currently facing, but it would be a good start that proves that the University is serious about our health and wellbeing.
Let’s face it – residence fees at U of O are certainly not cheap. But the fact is, residence provides safe and secure housing, plus it is a great way for students to be involved with campus life. However, we shouldn’t just look to the university to solve this issue, but to the city council as well.
The City of Ottawa and the University of Ottawa must work together in order to get high-density, mixed-use zoning implemented in Sandy Hill. King Edward Avenue could be completely reimagined in order to accommodate the growing demands of the neighbourhood. It is my hope that the recent announcements by the federal and provincial governments to remove the GST and PST for building rental units will help this become a reality. Removing the GST from new rental construction good first step.
The price of rent is skyrocketing to the point where so many can no longer afford to move out of their parents’ house. For others, such as myself who come from across the country, I have no option but to pay the ever-increasing rent prices. High-density housing around the U of O precinct would certainly help some of those in such situations.
The LRT station at Lees could and must be surrounded by more high-density housing and essential amenities such as grocery stores. There are so many things that can be done in order to alleviate the housing crisis right here in our backyards.
Ottawa is home to a plethora of federal buildings that are literally sitting empty now that work-from-home has taken off. The federal government could begin selling off some of those buildings to be converted into affordable homes for students and to end homelessness in our city. Poilievre releases housing plan he says would ‘build homes, not bureaucracy’.
The housing crisis isn’t likely to end anytime soon. I just hope that the University of Ottawa and our elected officials sympathize with the students who are feeling the negative effects of it and work towards maintaining U of O as a world-class university.
