Student housing coming to Squamish

The Province is investing in student housing as part of Homes for People, a housing action plan that includes building 12,000 on-campus student housing beds. To date, 8,099 new beds (5,068 Province-funded, 3,031 institution self-funded) are complete or underway, enabling more people in British Columbia to have affordable housing to pursue post-secondary education and taking pressure off local rental markets.

Provincially funded projects include:

Interior:

New student housing already open:

• 533 beds at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops. Total project cost was $38 million ($25.5 million provincial funding). Completed in September 2019.
• 220 beds at University of British Columbia Okanagan in Kelowna. Total project cost was $25 million ($18.7 million provincial funding). Completed in September 2020.
• 100 beds at the College of the Rockies in Cranbrook. Total project cost was $19 million ($12.9 million provincial funding). Completed in December 2020.
• 148 beds at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops. Total project cost was $19.5 million ($10.9 million provincial funding). Completed in November 2023.

New student housing underway:

• Okanagan College campuses in Vernon (100 beds), Salmon Arm (60 beds) and Kelowna (216 beds). Total project cost is $74.6 million ($73.5 million provincial funding).
• Selkirk College in Castlegar (114 beds) and Nelson (36 beds). Total project cost is $37.7 million ($35.6 million provincial funding).

Lower Mainland:

New student housing already open:

• 386 beds at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby. Total cost was $111.2 million ($73 million provincial funding). Completed in May 2023.

New student housing underway:

• 398 beds at University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford. Total cost is $105 million ($87.6 million provincial funding).
• 362 beds at Capilano University in North Vancouver. Total cost is $58.2 million ($41.5 million provincial funding).
• 470 beds at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Burnaby. Total cost is $141.7 million ($129 million provincial funding).
• 368 beds and an academic space at Douglas College in New Westminster. Total cost is $292.5 million (government contribution of $202.3 million, $74 million in provincial funding for the academic part of the project and $128.3 million for student housing from the BC Student Housing Program).
• 333 beds at Capilano University in Squamish. Total cost is $64 million ($48 million in provincial funding). 

Northern B.C.:

New student housing already open:

• 108 beds at Coast Mountain College in Terrace. Total project cost was $21.6 million ($20.6 million provincial funding). Opened in October 2021.
• In Prince George, the College of New Caledonia opened 12 beds in September 2021. Total project cost was $5.3 million, which is fully funded by the province.

Vancouver Island:

New student housing already open:

• The University of Victoria opened its first 398-bed building with dining facilities in September 2022. The second 385-bed building opened in September 2023 for a total of 783 new beds (621 net new and 162 replacement beds). Total project cost was $241.3 million ($127.7 million provincial funding).

New student housing underway:

• 217 beds at North Island College. Total cost is $77.9 million ($75.9 million provincial funding).
• 266 new student housing beds at Vancouver Island University. Total cost is $87.8 million ($87 million provincial funding).