Jessica Wang, Meera Mahendran, and Kumarasamy Kunanayaham were charged with operating an illegal rooming house near the UTSC campus in February. The three appeared in court on September 6. Their rooming house, located at 1280 Military Trail, was a specially renovated, 3,000 square-foot home that contained 12 bedrooms, two kitchens, and six bathrooms. Eleven students were found living there when it was officially shut down by Scarborough’s Municipal Licensing and Standards division.
Growing student population
NANCY JI/THE VARSITY
With less than 800 students living on-campus, but more than 10,000 taking classes, UTSC’s student population is dominated by commuters. Few apartment-style buildings near UTSC means that the majority of commuters have to live far from campus. The lack of options makes illegal rooming houses an appealing last resort for students who want cheap, nearby housing.
The problem of available housing will only worsen as the campus proceeds to increase its student body. Guled Arale, the Scarborough Campus Student Union’s vice-president external, said that the campus has grown “considerably” in the past couple of years. He explained that a new residence tower was being planned, but since the plans are “years down the road, there is a definite lack of options for our current students.” Arale admits that the creation of new residences will not be enough to stop illegal rooming houses. “It will be one way to address the problem, but there needs to be multiple things done, such as educating students and homeowners.”
Locals have complained about the state of Military Trail, and how the quality of the neighbourhood has decreased as more students began living around UTSC. “Some people think that the neighbourhood is changing too much, too fast,” explains Arale. However, he believes that students also have a right to complain, stating that “many students are being taken advantage of” by those who want to profit from rooming houses. To Arale, educating both students and homeowners about their “rights and expectations” is a necessary part of the solution. “The university needs to create cooperative links with the community to address these concerns.”
Illegal but inexpensive
Under Chapter 285 of the Toronto Municipal Code, rooming houses are illegal in Scarborough and North York. In the 1998 amalgamation, East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, York, and the former City of Toronto merged to form the current City of Toronto. The merger was not smooth, and the irregularities of Toronto’s rooming house laws are just a part of its problematic legacy.
Many students have chosen to live in the renovated bungalows and townhouses that line Military Trail, despite their illegal status. “Some students choose to do it because the price is right, and the accommodations are acceptable to their needs,” said Michelle Verbrugghe, director of the Student Housing and Residence Life Office. Although the conditions are enough for a student to live by, they have received very poor reviews from ex-boarders. “Compare them to the residences. We have a high duty of care, we have our own maintenance staff, and we’re very responsive.”
The office also helps students find off-campus housing, so Verbrugghe knows first-hand the troubles that students face when it comes to house-hunting firsthand. She wishes there were more options and different types of housing for students.
Student reaction varies
Some students are against the illegal status of rooming houses in Scarborough, and believe regulation to be a better option. “There’s clearly a market for cheap student housing, so why not capitalize on it?” said Henry Li, a third-year biology student. “That’s much better than cracking down on students who just want an affordable room.” He admits that the quality of life for those students who live in rooming houses is probably lower than their on-campus peers. Despite these concerns, he stressed that “these are the sacrifices we have to make for our degrees.”
Other students believe that rooming houses are illegal for a reason, and support the current law. “I know housing is necessary,” said Jen Wang, a first-year science student. “However, students should not sacrifice safety for a mere roof over their heads.” She heard that the landlords got rid of the fire alarms and CO2 detectors to evade inspections. “That is not only unsafe — that is simply dangerous.” Wang said that rooming houses might be a good option for students, but only if the houses are tightly regulated to prevent accidents.
Some, however, are unsympathetic to the problems of UTSC’s students. Aaron Perera, a third-year physiology student at the St. George campus, has to commute over an hour to get to U of T’s downtown campus from Ajax. “Between the buses, the GO, and the subway, I’m spent.” He stresses that the problem of commuting is not unique to Scarborough, and that sometimes it is necessary to choose far off-campus housing if it means saving money. “It’s a bit unfair, but it’s not enough to change the law just for us.”
