Canadore College has plan to house more students in North Bay

Three new living options are going to be available for Canadore College students in North Bay starting this fall.

It’s an effort by the college to try and curb the housing shortage in the region, that students are being affected by.

There are townhomes that sit on college property that haven’t been occupied for 10 or more years and are currently under renovation.

'The Greens' will once again house students starting in September.

"They were built very, very well with cement blocks and firm beams. With the support of local architects and contractors we determined that a renovation would be viable to make 19 new family houses," said Canadore Vice President Shawn Chorney.

"Designed for our students and their families with a main suite that accommodates a larger suite, room for a larger bed, room for storage, room for multiple children who have their own private rooms."

The other two new options are apartments that will be available on Commercial Street and pairing students with family homes in the community.

"It ensures that we’re doing our part for the community and not making a tight housing market worse, ensuring students have safe and affordable housing," Chorney said.

"We struggled here last summer to find housing for all of our learners, so it’s not just saying 'developers build more houses or what’s the city doing about this?' It needs to be a community lift on this, so we’re trying to lead by example."

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Canadore students have been a part of the whole process, according to Chorney, and those who spoke with CTV News said they believe this plan will succeed.

"This is a great idea, I’ve seen people struggling with accommodations," said Alex Mathew, a member of Canadore’s Student Council.

"When Shawn came up with this idea, it’s great for student housing and really good option for accommodations."

Chorney said the project is costing Canadore close to $10 million.