This time last year, Khalsa Aid Canada says it was receiving five calls a week from international students in Brampton needing food, clothing and a place to live.
Now, amid worsening housing and affordability crises, it says it’s receiving five calls a day — a figure well beyond what it can handle.
The international charity, the Canadian branch of which helps over 8,200 students struggling to access food, clothes, and shelter in cities nationwide, says the government and post-secondary institutions should be doing more to support international students in need.
With nearly 500,000 international students living in the Greater Toronto Area, Khalsa Aid’s national director Jindi Singh says charities are under strain, taking on more than their fair share of the load.
“We truly feel it’s not really our role,” he said.
Post-secondary institutions are “making billions out of this situation,” Singh said, but “there’s absolutely no wrap-around services for these students, who are left to fend for themselves.”
He says it’s time for the post-secondary institutions and governments responsible for the situation to take ownership and get to the root of the problem.
Jindi Singh, national director at Khalsa Aid criticized governments and post-secondary institutions for their lack of international student support, ‘They’re making billions out of this situation,’ he said. ‘There’s absolutely no wrap-around services for these students, who are left to fend for themselves.’ (Submitted by Jindi Singh)
Supporting international students is a complex undertaking, Singh says — one that involves navigating bad faith programs, fraudulent immigration agents, mental health issues and uncertainty about immigration policy and the permits needed to reside in the country.
The president of the College Student Alliance, Azi Afousi, agrees, adding that the lack of affordability makes the situation worse. Afousi says student unions across Ontario have reported fielding more calls about housing struggles, while one of her own colleagues shares a house with 15 other people.
“Housing in the GTA is like the wild, wild west,” Afousi said.
International students’ ability to make ends meet is also impacted by federal limitations on how much income can be earned, which, Singh says, further limits their job opportunities. Recent changes to the International Student Program, including a cap on study permits, have only added to the uncertainty.
“Your housing is affected, food is affected, mental health,” Afousi said. “With students it’s even more drastic because your academic output is affected.”
With no housing or jobs, Singh said, “It’s a homeless camp situation.”
He says the situation is acute in Brampton, a city with 35 federally licensed colleges that attract tens of thousands of international students annually. Since last June, Khalsa Aid has delivered over 5,000 grocery bags full of non-perishable food to international students.
‘Chronic underfunding’ to blame: student advocate
International students pay four times more tuition than domestic students. For colleges and governments to not provide wrap-around services like housing, food and job referrals, is a “pure money grab,” Singh said.
Afousi says the problem is exacerbated by Ontario’s “chronic underfunding” of post-secondary education.
International students make up 68 per cent of tuition revenue at 24 Ontario colleges, and over 90 per cent at some Northern Ontario colleges, according to a 2021 provincial auditor general report.
Peel Region charities are sounding the alarm about a ‘crisis’ among international students. Since last June, Khalsa Aid has delivered over 5,000 grocery bags full of non-perishable food to international students in Brampton. (Submitted by Jindi Khalsa)
International students from India alone contributed $2 billion to Ontario’s post-secondary institutions’ operating income last year, compared to roughly $1.8 billion the provincial government contributed, according to a September 2023 report by consulting firm Higher Education Strategy Associates.
A spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities did not respond to questions about whether the province would increase its funding. Instead, the spokesperson pointed to a January news release which said the province is looking into requiring all colleges and universities to have guaranteed housing options for incoming international students.
While Mattoo and Singh both say they welcome the cap on permits, they want the government to put in place more support for international students currently in Canada who are having a hard time.
Singh says he blames the federal government for bringing in record-high numbers of international students — 800,000 in 2022, then 900,000 in 2023 — without making sure there was adequate housing.
“Who dropped the ball?”
Ottawa ‘pausing’ international student admissions to ensure they ‘get the right experience’: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada’s two-year cap on new international student permits will both ensure students get a quality education and ease housing pressures.
International students “are not responsible for the shortage of housing,” said Julie Lafortune, spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in a statement to CBC Toronto.
Lafortune said, “It is clear that the number of students arriving in Canada has become unsustainable.”
In December, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced an increase to the cost-of-living financial requirement for study permit applicants from $10,000 to $20,635. Lafortune said that amount will now be adjusted each year so that international students have “enough money to support themselves.”
“A student who arrives without adequate funds is more vulnerable to being exploited by an employer or might feel forced to accept a poor housing situation,” she said.
In Brampton, charity sees ‘unprecedented’ level of struggle
While the federal government suggested its new cap on study permits will help ease the housing crunch, organizations including Khalsa Aid, the World Sikh Organization, the College Students Association and Sukhmani Haven say the cap doesn’t do anything to help those already here.
“We’re seeing unprecedented levels of people struggling,” Sukhmani Haven board member Deepa Mattoo told CBC Toronto.
Sukhmani Haven is seeing ‘unprecedented levels of people struggling,’ said board member Deepa Mattoo. (Submitted by Deepa Mattoo)
More than one dozen volunteers run Sukhmani Haven, a Mississauga-based organization that rents a duplex home in Brampton to house eight international students for free — a feat that took months of applying to rent 50 different houses and receiving dozens of rejections before eventually signing a lease.
“It is really complicated right now,” said Mattoo, who is also a lawyer at Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic
“There’s not a lot of renting spaces available or they’re available at such a high price that basically you get priced out.”
The IRCC says non-profit organizations are eligible to apply for the Affordable Housing Fund to construct, maintain, and repair affordable housing and shelter spaces.
“We need all levels of government at the table with us on this,” Lafortune said.
Sukhmani Haven hosted a fundraiser dinner in 2022, which has allowed the charity to house 34 students on a short and long term basis, in addition to providing some with financial aid, tuition bursaries, pro bono legal services and support via a crisis hotline.
But the organization says it’s concerned about its ability to keep up, which worries those for whom it’s a lifeline.
Sheridan College business student Simranpreet Kaur moved into the organization’s Brampton rental two months ago following a months-long search for housing that left the international student from India feeling “so depressed.”
Sukhmani Haven introduced Kaur to other students with similar experiences, which she says helped her feel less alone.
“It helped me a lot because I can easily share my feelings with everyone,” she said.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Darcy Kuemper made 16 saves for his first shutout of the season and 32nd overall, helping the Los Angeles Kings beat the Nashville Predators 3-0 on Monday night.
Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist and Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala also scored. The Kings have won two of their last three.
Juuse Saros made 24 saves for the Predators. They are 1-2-1 in their last four.
Kopitar opened the scoring with 6:36 remaining in the opening period. Saros denied the Kings captain’s first shot, but Kopitar collected the rebound below the goal line and banked it off the netminder’s skate.
Fiala, a former Predator, made it 2-0 35 seconds into the third.
The Kings held Nashville to just three third-period shots on goal, the first coming with 3:55 remaining and Saros pulled for an extra attacker.
Elsewhere in the NHL on Monday:
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DEVILS 3 OILERS 0
EDMONTON, Alta. (AP) — Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his NHL career, helping the New Jersey Devils close their western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored. The Devils improved to 8-5-2. They have won three of their last four after a four-game skid.
Calvin Pickard made 13 saves for Edmonton. The Oilers had won two straight.
