Mayor aims at student rentals
Walter Sendzik wants to clamp down on problems by licensing and limiting the number of student units in a house.
St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik wants to clamp down on the student housing problems by licensing student rentals and limiting the number of units in a house.
Sendzik said he’s bringing a motion to city council tonight for implementing a new student housing bylaw similar to one adopted by the City of Oshawa.
“Long overdue. A lot of folks have been talking about it, not a lot has been done about it,” he said Friday during his monthly online chat #AskSendzik at The Standard’s office.
“This will have, I believe, a very important role to play in managing the number of student houses in neighbourhoods and also who owns the student houses. We’re going to be dealing with the landlords.”
Sendzik said based on the success of the Oshawa experience, St. Catharines should be able to get a better handle on where student housing is in the community and how the city can better manage it.
Last weekend, a student gathering on a residential street in Thorold in the wee hours of the morning drew complaints by neighbours and went viral on social media. Police estimated 400 students gathered on Winterberry Boulevard on what was Brock University’s homecoming weekend.
Sendzik said St. Catharines also had struggles, not to the extent of Thorold, but there were a number of complaints raised. The city is working with Brock and Niagara Regional Police. Sendzik said Brock has done an effective job of going into the community and talking to students who are living off-campus and explaining how they should behave in neighbourhoods.
“A majority of them get it and a majority of them understand that you’re living in neighbourhoods where there’s families and being respectful is an important part of being part of a community,” he said. “Unfortunately, there’s a smaller group who are away from home for the first time. They’re going to do their things and they create a lot of nuisance for a lot of folks.”
On Friday afternoon, Brock University issued a news release reminding students to be respectful of neighbours and neighbourhoods on the big Grape and Wine Festival weekend.
Brock said it would be paying for up to four additional Niagara Regional Police officers to be on duty Friday and Saturday evenings to help monitor residential neighbourhoods in St. Catharines and Thorold.
As well, Brock staff were to be helping to inspect residential neighbourhoods overnight. Staff also contacted residents who voiced concerns about parties the previous week and have been knocking on doors at student properties that have been the subject of complaints.
Sendzik said during his chat at The Standard that the city is reminding students through Brock and the NRP to be respectful and that there are bylaws in place. They can’t party on the roof, have furniture in the front yard or park on the grass. Vehicles parked in areas they shouldn’t be will be automatically ticketed without warning.
The fire department will also be going through student rental houses because they want to make sure students are safe as well.
The full chat with the mayor can be viewed at www.stcatharinesstandard.ca. Sendzik also discussed councillor expenses, economic development, the city budget and more.