Suburbs in Greater Toronto Area has had its share of international students dragging their bags and going door to door in residential neighbourhoods seeking spaces on rent, willing to share space with handful of others; willing to pay the rents though hardly in a position to earn.
Area near Sandalwood and Bramalea in Brampton made headlines that witnessed students living in makeshift tents;
after similar reports came in from the area of Kitchner and Waterloo. The desperate move by the students, without a roof over their heads, wasn’t welcomed by most residents. Then there were sotto voce concerning girl students seeking
work at residence for cleaning/cooking etc, and later in public domain these turned out to be the hot discussion in kitty parties as to seek one as a “home help”. Then came boys, seeking to wash the cars at the doorstep. Soon the perception changed. The desperate move by the students, without a stable job was welcomed by most residents. As these services by the students was low -priced and broadened their comfort zone.
However, it was not a please all movement for Canadians. Soon the international students were being perceived as
“opportunistic immigrants stealing resources from hard-working and impoverished Canadians”—spurring a new wave of resentment-both for the Canadians and the students. On the other hand, the students were doing the work that others shy away from doing: as warehouse workers, delivery drivers, restaurant staff, constructing basements often working under-the-table for employers who abuse the insecurity of their immigration status to withhold pay. When such jobs dried up, the students moved to residential areas to look for the work! Were the students doing it for a quick buck?
When the area of Brampton and Mississauga has 12% of international students of all of Canada, the scenario was bound
to follow sooner or later. On Feb 1’2024 Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown had said, “The program is broken. Right now, we see international students being taken advantage of, living in horrendous conditions, and it has essentially become an ATM for academic institutions,” when the city’s bylaw department had discovered 25 students
living illegally in the so-called apartment. “We need to align this international student program with available housing we have”, he mentioned. What all has been done to reverse the situation in these nine months? Nothing! Even when a report from Statistics Canada earlier this year raised alarms as it found that that international
students living in Brampton were more likely to live in unsuitable housing than in any other city across the country. It
found that 63.3 per cent of international students in Brampton lived in unsuitable housing, compared to 37.2 per cent in
Toronto and 29.2 in Vancouver.
Almost nine months later, in the last week of October, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown called on federal and provincial counterparts to change student visa requirements and provide more support for international students. A resolution put forward by Community Services Chair Rowena Santos was approved. It focused on strengthening local protections, advocating for systemic change at the provincial and federal levels and creating community-driven solutions to
ensure the safety and well-being of Brampton’s international student population, the City of Brampton mentioned in its press release. In addition, the city on its website highlights: “female students have been exploited by predatory landlords and traffickers, leading to cases of unwanted pregnancies, mental health crises and even suicide”. Rowena Santos deserves praise as she on earlier occasions has raised similar concerns.
On September 4, in the meeting of the council she presented the rental advertisement saying female international students are “being prostituted for rent.” Santos said many of these international students are unaware that they are being exploited, and without permanent status in the country, they are afraid to speak out. “Because of different cultural dynamics, they don’t necessarily know what consent is and what friends with benefits mean,” she explained. “That ad showed if you’re willing to do friends with benefits then you only have to pay $200 instead of $300 and it’s absolutely disgusting.”
When the City of Brampton made a call to the provincial and federal government, did not state what all was done by city to mitigate the situation for the international students. The call lacks conviction and it only appeared to be a step to steal the limelight from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who two days later came out with another announcement.
Trudeau’s government, facing low approval ratings and anger over a housing shortage and high cost of living, announced it is reducing both permanent and temporary immigration and shrinking Canada’s population slightly for two years. “We’re granting 35% fewer international student permits this year. And next year, that number’s going down by another 10%,” Trudeau said in a tweet. “Immigration is an advantage for our economy— but when bad actors abuse the system and take advantage of students, we crack down,” he added.
While Canada has long prided itself as a place that welcomes new immigrants, the leadership has failed the very essence of the immigration system. While the Mayor appeals to the provincial and federal government, the Prime Minister announces plans for next year. Neither Patrick Brown nor Justin Trudeau have announced any plans to mitigate the present sufferings of the students. The leadership was never that helpless! The Canadian government should have acted sooner to stem the flow of temporary migration, reducing the house crisis, creating more job opportunities.