Student Union Releases Report on Housing and Residency

The University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union (USSU) today released its longanticipated
report, “Learning Well, Living Well” on student housing and residences. The
thirty-eight page report is focused on providing student perspectives about the issue,
and contains a series of recommendations for government aimed towards providing
relief for students seeking a stable place to live.

“Students continue to face a big challenge for finding decent, affordable housing in
Saskatoon,” said Shannon Dyck, USSU VP Student Issues who compiled the report.
“Students must have an adequate place to live if they are to excel in their studies and
personal development,” said Dyck. “Living in inadequate spaces greatly diminishes the
student experience, which hurts the student as much as it does the University.”

“The USSU report is important because it provides viewpoints from students who are
affected, and it recommends solutions for the Saskatoon municipal and Saskatchewan
provincial governments to help ease the problem,” said Dyck.

The report’s recommendations include:

• Adequate funding for U of S projects that increase student housing on or near
campus, as recommended by the Provincial Task Force on Housing Affordability;
• Updating Saskatchewan Student Loans’ funding to accurately reflect the needs
of students;
• Looking to other Provinces and cities that have already experienced similar
housing booms, then reviewing and adopting certain policies that have helped
them stabilize their rental markets;
• Creating steps to ensure landlord accountability and increase awareness of
landlord/tenant responsibilities;
• Reevaluating Saskatoon’s Condominium Approvals Policy due to the
repercussion of increased condo conversions; and,
• Keeping open communication between all levels of government and key
stakeholders with regard to Saskatoon housing.

For more information about the “Learning Well, Living Well” housing report or this media
release, please contact:

Shannon Dyck
USSU VP Student Issues
Telephone: 966.6970

Click here to download the report (Adobe .pdf, 2.9 megabytes)