Manitoba's student aid shelter allowances to better reflect housing costs
The Manitoba government is taking steps to make housing more affordable for post-secondary students by updating the rate used to determine the student aid shelter allowance.
On Wednesday, Advanced Education and Training Minister Renée Cable announced that beginning next month, shelter allowances will better reflect housing and rental costs.
The province notes that shelter allowances are used to calculate Manitoba Student Aid applicants’ expenses, based on their location and living situation. The information is used to determine the amount of funding provided to recipients.
“We are very happy for this change, we are very thankful for this change,” said Divya Sharma, president of the University of Manitoba Students’ Union (UMSU).
“It’s clear that this government is focused on helping with housing and students are often not as prioritized when it comes to housing, so we’re really happy to see this particular investment being made in housing to support the students and their needs directly.”
The province notes that starting on Aug. 1, shelter allowances will be aligned with the 2022 Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) rental data. To date, they’ve used the 1998 CMHC rental rates and updated them annually based on the Consumer Price Index inflation rate.
“The benefit of it is that students, for the time being, they don’t have to worry about, for example, choosing between getting textbooks and stuff like that or being able to pay for their rent,” said Prabhnoor Singh, vice president of student affairs for UMSU.
“Once they are done with their post-secondary education, they can hopefully secure a good paying job and pay back their student loans over time.”
Manitoba Student Aid provides federal and provincial financial assistance to help with post-secondary education costs. It is available to Manitobans studying in and outside the province.
- With files from CTV’s Jon Hendricks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7030020.1725828794!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
'Beautiful in its own way': New forest emerges in Jasper National Park, bringing protection and new opportunities
Charred stumps and the remains of fire-ravaged trees still cover large tracts of land on the Jasper landscape, but life is returning quickly down below.
Bloc Quebecois ready to extract gains for Quebec in exchange for supporting Liberals
The Bloc Québécois says its ready to wheel and deal with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's party for support during confidence votes now that the Liberal government's confidence and supply agreement with the NDP has ended.
Dog mauled to death in B.C. yard after 3 pit bulls jump fence: police
A 12-year-old collie was killed by three pit bulls in the B.C. Interior Sunday morning, according to authorities.
video ‘Not checking out yet’: Woman with incurable cancer vows to keep fighting
Heather Appleton just renewed her passport for another ten years. “I’m not checking out yet,” said Appleton, 61, who has the incurable cancer, Multiple Myeloma.
Trump threatens to jail adversaries in escalating rhetoric ahead of pivotal debate
With just days to go before his first and likely only debate against U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, former U.S. president Donald Trump posted a warning on his social media site threatening to jail those “involved in unscrupulous behavior” this election, which he said would be under intense scrutiny.
'It's morally wrong': A rural Alberta town reacts to homeless shelter closure
At the end of a side street in Slave Lake, Alta., Lynn Bowes looks at a grey job-site trailer with boarded-up windows and doors that once operated as her town's only homeless shelter.
Over 200 firearms seized in weapons investigation: Waterloo Regional Police
According to police, during a traffic stop in Waterloo, officers noticed firearms and ammunition inside the vehicle.
Military surplus store in Calgary, destination of celebrity shoppers, closing doors
Cher, Anthony Hopkins, Heath Ledger, Alec Baldwin and Tom Hardy are just a few of the celebrities John Cumming met while growing up in his family's military surplus store.
Slide over salsa: K-pop takes socialist Cuba by storm
Socialist Cuba, the birthplace of salsa and other rhythms that have conquered the world, is now surrendering to the invasion of South Korean pop music.