Students decry 'shameful' 25% rate increase at Halifax university residence

Nicola Seguin · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 12, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Post-secondary students surviving successful the residence astatine the Atlantic School of Theology successful Halifax were shocked by a missive from medication past week outlining a 25 per cent monthly complaint summation for residence rooms starting successful September. 

The residence provides lodging for up to 103 students from Dalhousie University, NASCAD University, Saint Mary's University, Nova Scotia Community College and the University of King's College, arsenic good arsenic its ain students. 

Since the quality of the rental increase, students person been organizing successful protest, putting up signs and flyers astir the south-end campus emblazoned with slogans like, "Cut the Hike — No to 25."

University of King's College physics pupil Nicholas Todd is 1 of the dorm residents protesting the increase. He says galore students volition conflict to wage the higher rates but can't spend to determination elsewhere.

"AST booting the rent up is really going to make a important way of quality misery down it," Todd said successful an interrogation Monday. 

According to the Atlantic School of Theology, the existent residence rental rates scope from $660 to $768 monthly for modular oregon ample azygous rooms, with a shared room and bathrooms. 

Todd said these inexpensive rates are what drew galore students there. He is surviving successful the cheapest country style, paying $660 per month. After the summation successful September, that volition emergence to astir $825. 

"It's very, precise frustrating to spot specified a stark increase," Todd said. "Especially erstwhile our gathering manager successful our email said that they are alert … determination is the 5 per cent limit owed to the Tenancy Act, but universities are exempt."

University says rates stay lowest successful city

Atlantic School of Theology president Rev. Heather McCance said the summation is an effort to bring the university's residence rates person to the marketplace complaint successful the city.

She said adjacent with the increase, the rooms volition beryllium going for 25 per cent less than dorms astatine different universities. But she said she understands the students' concerns. 

"I don't blasted them for being upset," McCance said successful an interrogation Tuesday. "I'd beryllium upset. You'd beryllium upset. Anybody would beryllium upset with that benignant of a jump. And we looked astatine the anticipation of spreading it out, but frankly, determination are costs we request to recoup."

McCance said the national government's planetary pupil headdress has been hurting the school's bottommost line. She said the residence utilized to person a agelong waitlist, but this twelvemonth the dorm is not adjacent full. 

In December 2022, the provincial authorities provided $3 cardinal to the Atlantic School of Theology to upgrade the residence and adhd much beds to conscionable accrued request for pupil housing. 

McCance said "it was an anticipation from the province" that erstwhile the renovations were complete, the assemblage would rise the rent person to marketplace value. 

Not protected by province's temporary rent cap

According to the Nova Scotia government, assemblage and assemblage dorm rentals bash not autumn nether the province's Residential Tenancies Act due to the fact that "they are committee governed institutions that find their rental costs."

This means the impermanent prohibition connected rent increases implicit five per cent does not use to students renting there. 

"We are disappointed with this sizeable rent summation astatine a clip erstwhile outgo of surviving increases are affecting galore students," said Department of Advanced Education spokesperson Chloee Sampson. 

Sampson besides said the section gave nary absorption to the Atlantic School of Theology to summation rents arsenic portion of the backing agreement. 

Char Russell, a NASCAD University pupil who lives successful the Atlantic School of Theology dorms, said they were amazed to larn the province's rent headdress doesn't use to universities. 

"It's truly shameful that this is happening," Russell said. "Especially due to the fact that it feels similar they're taking vantage of a loophole to exploit students."

Both Russell and Todd said they don't consciousness the gathering is worthy the caller higher prices, saying it isn't successful large information and citing the beingness of mould as an example. McCance denied this but admitted there is "occasionally immoderate mildew" that is dealt with quickly. 

This week, a poster advertizing an accidental for students to conscionable with McCance and different assemblage officials connected March 20 was posted wrong the building. 

McCance said she has lone heard directly from 1 pupil contesting the increase, and she wants to unfastened a dialogue. 

"I privation to perceive what they request much of to marque this an charismatic spot for them to live," she said. "And we volition bash everything we tin to marque that hap wrong the constraints that we person connected us."

Russell said the champion result would beryllium for the assemblage to reconsider the complaint increase, "especially during a lodging crisis."