housing Archives - Queen's Journal

Student housing horror stories

Written on January 28, 2022. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

When the first drops of water hit my bed, I was getting ready to leave for work. The sound of my housemate’s showering upstairs wasn’t the thrum of white noise it usually was. I squinted at my ceiling, and watched a drop of water fall onto my duvet. “Oh my god,” I said, running upstairs and yelling...

Canada HomeShare provides affordable housing for students

Written on October 5, 2021. Posted in News.

As Kingston faces increasing rent prices year by year, Canada HomeShare seeks to “hit two birds with one stone” through its pairing program. HomeShare is a part of the National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly (NICE). The program promotes inclusive communities while providing affordable housing...

The legalities of student living

Written on February 7, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

Dealing with housing is an almost unavoidable part of the Queen’s experience. 95 per cent of Queen’s students come from outside of Kingston, so unless you’re a Don, chances are you’ve been involved in the Kingston housing market, or will be after you move out of residence in the spring. Most of us...

Lower vacancy rates, longer commutes ahead for students

Written on January 15, 2019. Posted in News.

Queen’s students may move further away from campus the next time they go hunting for a rental property. Kingston’s low vacancy rate—just 0.6 per cent according to the Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation—can make affordable rental properties scarce in the University District, partly leading...

The do's and don'ts of signing a lease

Written on March 2, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle.

With February behind us and the end of the semester in sight, there are many items on the docket for Queen’s students – one of which is looking for houses and signing leases. Whether it’s your first time signing a lease in Kingston or you’ve been through this before, there are definitely lessons we...

University District draft report released

Written on April 6, 2017. Posted in News.

In the wake of the AMS’ inaugural University District Summit in February, a first draft report detailing the findings, identifying problems and proposing solutions was released on March 31. The report was compiled by Commissioner of Municipal Affairs Francis Campbell, with an open request for feedback....

University District Summit highlights future development challenges

Written on February 14, 2017. Posted in News.

In a new initiative by AMS Municipal Affairs Commissioner (MAC) Francis Campbell, this Saturday’s University District Summit brought together students, permanent residents, University staff and landlords to discuss the most pressing development and integration issues in Kingston. Areas of focus included...

Student drinking culture sparks counter initiative by former professor

Written on November 11, 2016. Posted in News.

“I live in the combat zone,” Geoffrey Smith, Queen’s professor emeritus, noted on Wednesday morning while walking around his block at Barrie and William Streets. This week, Smith — who taught physical education, health education and history at Queen’s for many years — launched an initiative he calls...

Dorm room decorating

Written on August 2, 2016. Posted in Lifestyle.

When I moved away for university, one of the things I was most excited about was getting to decorate my new dorm room and I chose a bohemian theme involving lots of colours, patterns and elephants for my small single room — a design decision I came to regret fairly quickly as my taste changed. It’s...

Tenants: know your rights or risk them

Written on March 31, 2016. Posted in Opinions.

When I decided to come to Queen’s, people were quick to tell me how difficult the transition would be. “No one is going to hold your hand anymore,” they told me. Again and again. It wasn’t until second year that I realized it wasn’t enough to know how to do laundry and feed myself I had to know...

Incomplete 663 Princess apartments leave tenants stranded

Written on September 25, 2015. Posted in News.

Unfinished units at Patry Inc.’s 663 Princess St. apartment building have forced some tenants to scramble to find alternate accommodations — often hotel rooms — for an indeterminate amount of time. The building’s misfortunes — with a fire in 2013 and legal battles to follow — continued throughout...

Moving out of the “monster house”

Written on June 30, 2015. Posted in Features.

Mould, flooding, poor insulation and inadequate locks were the norm for student housing in 2010 — often in converted “monster houses”. But for the first time in years, living in the den of a converted family home may not be a part of the typical Queen’s experience. After decades of converting 100-year-old...

Landlord agreements not always legal

Written on March 6, 2015. Posted in Features.

When Madi Trenholm found a broken oven in her new apartment, she thought she would just have to ask her landlord to fix it. She said the oven wasn’t working when she and her housemates first entered their Birch St. apartment in May 2013 — and despite repeatedly telling her landlord to repair it, the...

Too close for comfort

Written on February 6, 2015. Posted in Lifestyle.

Our kitchen counter hadn’t been wiped in weeks, over 40 pairs of shoes covered the front hall and the compost bin was overflowing. That was the moment when my housemates and I realized it was time to dole out responsibilities. Choosing your housemates can seem like one of the toughest decisions you’ll...

663 Princess St. not daunted by fire

Written on October 3, 2014. Posted in News.

Heralded by an information session Wednesday evening in the ARC, the 663 Princess St. development is back underway after last winter’s fire. Reconstruction of the building at the corner of Princess and Victoria Streets is currently underway, following a fire on Dec. 17, 2013 that destroyed the original...

Residence price tag too high for some

Written on September 4, 2014. Posted in Features.

In her first year at Queen’s, Elysha Roeper found herself staring down a bill for over $10,000 — to be paid immediately. She decided the residence experience wasn’t worth the price. When Roeper entered first-year in 2012, the cheapest residence option — living in a triple room — cost $10,749. Today,...

City not sleeping on shelter issue

Written on March 21, 2014. Posted in News.

In order to reduce homelessness and focus on permanent housing, the City of Kingston is cutting shelter beds. On March 14, the City released a public notice stating their plan to reduce homelessness through the implementation of a 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan. Over the next three years, shelters...

Housing issues heard

Written on November 28, 2013. Posted in News.

Students facing housing issues with their landlords can now receive guidance from a new student service, the Housing Grievance Centre (HGC). AMS Assembly passed the proposal for the introduction of the HGC last March. The Centre, which opened in the JDUC on Nov. 15, provides students with advice regarding...

On the outside looking in

Written on November 22, 2013. Posted in Features.

Eleven years ago, Scott fell off a 12-storey roof. It happened in London, Ont., where he’d taken a covert roofing job to compensate for a lack of hours and pay with a landscaping company. He survived the plummet, but shattered his entire left ribcage, smashed his solar plexus and cracked his left...

AMS raises concerns on enrolment plans

Written on September 24, 2013. Posted in News.

The AMS is calling for the University to hold off on increasing enrolment, according to a report passed at a special AMS Assembly on Saturday. The report follows an announcement made by the office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) on Sept. 18 that urged campus stakeholders to submit feedback...

New student apartment complex proposed

Written on March 8, 2013. Posted in News.

On Tuesday, Kingston City Council approved the building of a new apartment unit directed at students. The proposal, for the Princess and Victoria Streets complex, was passed with an amendment to increase the number of rooms by four at the Kingston City Council Meeting. The five-storey building was...

Stuck between high rent and a hard place

Written on January 24, 2013. Posted in Features.

Rent prices in Kingston are among the highest in the province and Queen’s students are paying for it. The Fall 2012 Rental Market Report from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) placed Kingston as the fourth most expensive rental market in the province. Kingston tied with the district...

AMS, University undertake safety audit

Written on October 2, 2012. Posted in News.

The AMS has launched an audit to assess the safety of the housing area surrounding Queen’s. The last time a safety audit of the area was released was in 1997, said AMS Municipal Affairs Commissioner Troy Sherman. “It started off after we had a conversation about past campus safety audits that have...

Housing concerns

Written on July 29, 2012. Posted in News.

A proposal to knock down five houses on Johnson Street to build townhouses for students has been met with mixed reviews from local residents. If given permission from the city Planning Committee, the buildings will be constructed and rented out for Sept. 2013. The proposed properties, which would...

Student Ghetto through the years

Written on January 13, 2012. Posted in Lifestyle.

If successful, attempts to rename the Student Ghetto will change 30 years of history. “It seems to work itself into common usage [in] the ’80s,” Queen’s historian Duncan McDowall said. The Student Ghetto refers to the residential area surrounding Queen’s campus. “It coincides with the problems in...

In defence of the District

Written on September 27, 2011. Posted in Opinions.

While the Journal’s editorial on Tuesday Sept. 20 titled “Not ready for new name” was well written, I fundamentally disagree with some of the arguments within it. I want to take this opportunity to respond directly to some of the ideas stipulated within the editorial in a way that contributes to a...

Sci ’44 housing co-op turns 70

Written on April 1, 2011. Posted in Features.

On Wednesday, the Science ’44 Housing Cooperative celebrated its 70th year on campus. Graeme Melcher, ArtSci ’12, has lived in two Sci ’44 Co-ops during his stay at Queen’s. “I had some people I was supposed to live with after first year, but that fell through,” Melcher said. “I had heard about Co-op...

Tag: housing