McMaster's downtown Hamilton 10 Bay Residence has opened to undergraduate students, despite being originally intended for graduate students

McMaster's new 30-storey downtown residence building on 10 Bay Street, known for its modern design and student-focused amenities, was initially intended as a residence for graduate students only. Beginning this year, it is now open to undergraduate students.

In an email statement to the Silhouette, Jason Bianchi, the residence manager of 10 Bay Street, stated that the decision was made in an effort to provide more housing options in an increasingly insecure student housing market. "Our goal is to provide more safe and supportive housing options for all students," stated Bianchi.

Our goal is to provide more safe and supportive housing options for all students.

Jason Bianchi, Residence Manager
10 Bay Street

Since opening in September 2023, the residence has had low occupancy rates. According to The Hamilton Spectator, 10 Bay Street had difficulty filling its rooms earlier this year due to issues regarding water quality, privacy and maintenance. High rent prices were also seen as unsustainable for many students, raising concerns about the residence's long-term viability.

McMaster made efforts to address each issue, and the residence was completed in the spring of 2024.

As McMaster's enrollment continues to grow, so does the need for more student housing. Whether 10 Bay's opening to undergraduates will resolve its vacancy issue remains to be seen, but Bianchi did state that an unspecified number of undergraduates have already moved in. "We now have a number of undergraduates living at 10 Bay, and we hope more will consider it as time goes on," stated Bianchi.

Bianchi expressed optimism about the residence's ability to build a strong sense of community. In addition to academic study spaces, a fitness centre and lounges, 10 Bay has introduced a variety of social programs to engage students. The residence also has a shuttle service running Monday to Thursday, providing direct transportation from 10 Bay to campus.

Bianchi also stated that integrating graduate and undergraduate students has yet to present any significant challenges. The residence has hosted community meetings specifically for first-year students and plans to organize programming tailored to both groups' unique social and academic needs. "We've had excellent turnout at our events, with participation from both groups," stated Bianchi.

The mixed-residency model has also fostered mentorship opportunities, with graduate students offering guidance to undergraduates. "Graduate students provide a great source of mentorship and support for our undergraduate students. Our 10 Bay community is diverse, inclusive and collaborative and we hope to build more supports and run more events to continue to ensure our community thrives here," stated Bianchi.

Our 10 Bay community is diverse, inclusive and collaborative and we hope to build more supports and run more events to continue to ensure our community thrives here.

Jason Bianchi, Residence Manager
10 Bay Street

With the future opening of Lincoln Alexander Hall residence right beside campus in 2026, Bianchi acknowledged that demand for 10 Bay may shift. However, Bianchi maintained that it will help to provide additional housing options in the present.

"At a time when finding safe, affordable housing is becoming harder, we're happy to provide a home for more students in our community," Bianchi stated.

While 10 Bay has taken steps to address last year’s issues, it remains to be seen if these steps along with opening to undergraduates will fully resolve its occupancy challenges.

Amid Canada's housing crisis, the cap on international students will fail to address it and only comes at the cost of their education and futures

News flash: Canada is suffering from a housing crisis! What a surprise.

The lack of housing, and affordable housing at that, has been a chronic issue affecting off-campus students. In recent years, renting costs have dramatically increased..

Partly in response to the lack of affordable housing, the Canadian government implemented a two-year cap on the number of international students to be admitted into the country. They also implemented rules limiting these students from receiving work permits and buying homes in Canada.

Partly in response to the lack of affordable housing, the Canadian government implemented a two-year cap on the number of international students to be admitted into the country

According to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the temporary cap would help to regulate the number of students in the country and reduce demand on the housing market.

Specifically, it limits the enrollment of international students to approximately 360,000 individuals, a 35% decrease from last year's statistics.

Each province or territory is receiving a cap that is proportional to their population. Each province and territory will receive a specified cap based on its population size and provinces are able to decide how they want to allocate their cap across their universities.

For example, Ontario is estimated to have a cap of 236,373 international students for this academic year, while Alberta will have a cap of 71,149 international students. Although these may seem like drastic differences, the amount of international students Ontario plans to admit is down 133,404 from last year while Alberta could experience an increase of 36,243 international students.

The international student cap will not solve the housing crisis because they are by no means the cause. More significantly, the cap will perpetuate unfair blame targeted towards these students, unrightfully holding them partly responsible for the state of the Canadian economy.

The idea that international students are a big contributor to the housing crisis is incorrect. Considering the deep and interconnected economic issues that have produced the current housing crisis, it should not be expected that cap will have any meaningful positive effect on the issue.

Unaffordable housing and rent costs, increasing inflation, the cost of building materials and difficulties within the labour market are some of the major contributors to the housing crisis. The slight contribution to our population that international students make is not the problem we face.

Considering the deep and interconnected economic issues that have produced the current housing crisis, it should not be expected that cap will have any meaningful positive effect on the issue . . . The slight contribution to our population that international students make is not the problem we face.

The government can take much more meaningful and needed action to combat the housing crisis, as well as the other crises we are facing that all contribute to the overall cost of living crisis.

Expanding initiatives and grants to build affordable social housing and implementing vacancy taxes on landlords who own vacant properties are just two examples of action the government could take to address the housing crisis at its roots. Creating programs that ensure grocery prices stay low and incentivizing businesses to pay a living wage are all steps that could be taken to address the current cost of living crisis.

Expanding initiatives and grants to build affordable social housing and implementing vacancy taxes on landlords who own vacant properties are just two examples of action the government could take to address the housing crisis at its roots.

By enacting the cap on international students, the government wrongly reinforces the idea that international students are the problem. Sadly, this could contribute to fostering contempt for and prejudice towards international students. Many citizens may feel resentment towards these students and create a negative environment for them to live in.

Although Justin Trudeau has stated that international students aren't the problem numerous times, the implementation of the cap contradicts this.

The cap can also prevent family members from being with each other. For example, a current international student may have a sibling who wants to attend university with them. However, because of the restriction, it may now be impossible for that international student to attend university with their sibling abroad. This can contribute to increase the isolation international students feel from being away from family.

Although the government has proposed many benefits to the cap on international students, it not only falsely blames international students for the housing crisis, it will also fail to provide any meaningful relief to the crisis. As such, the move by the federal government is a two-fold blunder that does not effectively serve its own citizens and reinforces a xenophobic narrative. Domestic and international students and Canadian citizens as a whole deserve much better from the government.