As food prices rise rapidly across Canada, overseas students are seeing higher accommodation and housing expenses in 2022.
In November, the country’s inflation rate increased to 4.7 per cent as a result of Covid-related supply chain concerns that created shortages of some commodities in supermarkets.
Additionally, according to Canada’s Food Price Report, published by professors at Dalhousie and Guelph universities, food would cost 5-7 per cent more this year. Given that most homestays provide two or three meals each day, numerous organizations are raising host compensation to cover rising food costs.
Several homestay administrators believe that better compensation is essential for retaining current hosts and attracting new ones. In order to gain extra money, some families are forwarding news stories about rising food prices to homestay operators.
Thompson Rivers University of Kamloops, British Columbia, hiked its tuition from $875 to $1,000 on January 1. This represents a 14.3 per cent increase.
According to Rika Kimura, a Homestay staff member, the program sought to assist hosts with rising food costs. The homestay prices at ILAC, one of Canada’s largest language schools with campuses in Toronto and Vancouver, have recently doubled.
“All prices have gone up in Vancouver and the cost of living is much higher now,” said Yulia Kanava, ILAC’s homestay manager. “Families are doing tremendous work in these uncertain times, taking care of students’ safety and preparing proper meals. They deserve appropriate compensation.”
In addition, ILAC will pay more to long-term hosts that provide a pleasant experience for students and have a property in a terrific location. Also, everyone is not hiking interest rates. MLI Homestay provides international student housing in a number of cities around Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec.
According to MLI spokeswoman Cheryl Lee, the organization is maintaining the line on homestay fees. Whistler, British Columbia, continues to have the highest rates in the country.
In Whistler, the Sea to Sky School District pays hosts $1,500 per month. This is a 25% increase from the previous year when the rate was $1,200 per month.
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