The housing crunch forced one student into a nightmarish living situation

This is a big week for many families who are dropping their kids off at university. They’re packing boxes and pulling up to dorms and apartments across the country. It’s a stressful, exciting time. But for this university-bound cohort, there’s an added layer of stress: the housing crunch. With infinitesimal vacancy rates and skyrocketing rents, many students have had a terrible time finding a place to live. University administrators say they’re seeing an increase in the number of returning students who want to live on campus and, alarmingly, some students are starting the school year homeless, couch surfing and sleeping in their cars.

Eric Cimic, a student from Pickering, Ontario, who’s in law school at the University of New Brunswick, told Maclean’s about his harrowing apartment hunt. He spent last summer trying to find a place in Fredericton, looking at 150 places online and sending roughly 50 inquiries. He finally found an apartment he could afford, but when he arrived in person to see his new place, it was not what he expected. Cimic’s story is typical of what young adults are experiencing across the country. “Every time I saw something I liked and put in an inquiry, someone else beat me to it,” he told Maclean’s. “The market was tight.”

—Sarah Fulford, editor-in-chief

There's a room waiting for Vikramjit Brar's parents in his new home in Alberta. But visa delays have left them stuck in India for five years. He explains why the holdup has derailed his family’s life plan.

In 1917, a Franco-Canadian scientist pioneered phage therapy, a treatment that’s become a powerful weapon against antibiotic-resistant infections. Greg German, a Toronto-based physician and microbiologist, believes they should be more widely available today. Here’s why.

Real estate pick of the week

The Bower House in Fort Erie could pass for a submarine with a periscope peering outward as interpreted by Pablo Picasso. One thing is for sure: this house, which is on sale for the relative bargain price of $1.3 million, doesn’t look like anything else on the street.

Subscribe to Maclean’s
We’re telling the stories you need to read. Subscribe to the magazine today and save up to 70% off the cover price!

Copyright © 2023 All rights reserved

SJC Media, 15 Benton Road, Toronto, ON M6M 3G2

You are receiving this message from St. Joseph Communications because you have given us permission to send you editorial features

Unsubscribe