The McGill Tribune Vol. 20 Issue 24

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http://tribune.mcgill.ca

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McGILL

P u b lis h e d by th e S t u d e n t s ’ S o c ie ty o f M c G ill U n iv e r s it y

IB U N E T u esd a y , 2 0 M arch 2 0 0 1 Issu e 2 4

Patrick Fok

‘We can live in my ca r.’ Students in the McGill community are vying for a very limited supply of housing (see story below)

H e lp le s s ly h o m e le s s A p a r t m e n t s h o r t a g e in M o n t r e a l w r e a k i n g h a v o c o n s t u d e n t s ' w a l l e t s hasn’t been this strained since 1985. desperately want to call home. Karen Born “We have knocked on every single door “The biggest problem is the shortage of in the ghetto and haven’t found a thing,” says apartments. I wish I had more,” says Dan Leases, subleases, landlords, tenants. Heather Connors, a U0 student who has Florescu, a superintendent who oversees four Although this jargon doesn’t match with the apartment buildings in the ghetto. “People posted an ad on InfoMcGill offering a cash usual end-of-the-year talk of exams and sum­ are willing to pay any price to live in the ghet­ reward to anyone who nabs her and three mer plans, for many McGill students the end to.” He said that people crowd his door daily potential roommates an apartment for next of the semester means apartment hunting for looking to snag a place by approaching land­ year. next year. “We saw other people who offered lords and superintendents themselves. This year’s demand for housing in the rewards and we’re hoping that someone will According to a Canada Mortgage and student ghetto — the neighbourhood Housing Corporation survey in late want to make money off their apartment by between Parc, University, Sherbrooke and des November of last year, the vacancy rate in giving it to us, rather than just giving it away Pins — is increasing, and the resulting short­ Montreal’s metropolitan region has been to a friend or random person.” age is reaching other Montreal neighbour­ Connors is one of the many exasperated chopped in half since 2000 — from 3 to 1.5 hoods. Those who have not yet secured a lease per cent. In the more trendy neighbourhoods, students who have roamed through the for next year are hitting the streets in search of like the Plateau and Mile End, the rate is McGill ghetto, ringing on buzzers and knock­ their very own, overpriced matchbox they so lower still. The rental market in Montreal ing on doors in search of lodging for next

year. These students are also those who sit anxiously in front of their computer screens, waiting for InfoMcGill to be updated with a new crop of mostly 1 1/2 to 5 1/2 apartments to call, only to find out that they have already been taken a couple minutes beforehand. “I have been here four years and I have never seen anything like this,” says Florescu. “Before I used to see ads of people who were looking to sublet their places, and now I see ads of people looking for places. It’s crazy.” Sifting through the often-incoherent multitude of ads on InfoMcGill can be frus­ trating and disheartening. Aside from the fact that the ads are often exclusively for summer subletting, everyone and their neighbour in Please see N O W H E R E , page 13

C o n cern ed abo ut safety? Q u e stio n s about security? A sk the experts: on hand in Leacock lobby from 10am-2pm. Ready to address your issu e s and offer advice. Detailed presentations w ill help keep yourself and your com m unity safe.

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