Camosun College students will soon have the opportunity to call its Lansdowne campus home for the first time. Announced on Wednesday, July 17, $151.7 million in provincial funding—and a $3 million contribution from Camosun—has been approved to build an on-campus residence for students.
The building—to be constructed over part of the parking lot off Foul Bay Road—is set to open in fall 2027, and the college says it will provide affordable and accessible housing to students. The six-storey housing project will have 423 beds in a combination of single (dorm style), studio (single suite), and quad (four-bedroom apartment-style) units. Additionally, the facility will include amenities such as utilities, security, internet, and furniture.
Unit rental rates will be decided closer to the project completion, but the college intends for them to be comparable to student housing at other post-secondary institutions and below Victoria’s market rate.
Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) women’s director Olivia Bult says the CCSS is excited for the introduction of student housing on campus—a project they’ve long championed.
“Student housing is something that’s been on [the CCSS] agenda for quite some time,” says Bult, who is also an Arts and Science student. “It’s something that we want to advocate for students, including students who are more vulnerable or international students who are struggling just to get the most out of their college experience.”
Camosun executive director of communications and marketing Rodney Porter says the college is looking forward to transforming the campus community while also easing housing concerns for students in Victoria.
“It’s incredible news for students in the college community,” he says. “This has been in the works for a while, so having the BC government give the green light is very welcome news indeed, and I think everyone was positively thrilled. Finding affordable housing, we know it’s a serious challenge for students from the Capital Regional District and also for students especially who are coming from outside of the region.”
In 2023, Camosun organized two community open houses at the Lansdowne campus in addition to an online survey. Porter says the college is “committed to being a good neighbour,” taking steps to consider all parties involved in the project.
“One of the things we’re going to be doing as the next step is procuring a professional project management services team for the design and development,” he says. “So once we have that design team in place, we’ll be undertaking additional engagement with the neighbours in the community with stakeholders, community groups, review and input on the proposed design of the building.”
Porter says as the project is currently three years out, there’s a lot of planning yet to be developed. He says the college is focused on ensuring best practices for safety measures and the well-being of students.
“There’s an awful lot that needs to happen between now and then, and that includes developing the policies, the processes, to get that in place, to develop everything from application processes to making sure that the housing is safe, making sure it’s secure, having all those policies in place to ensure it’s not just… housing,” says Porter. “There needs to be the accompanying policies. So we will be giving a great deal of thought to developing those policies and making sure they’re in place in time.”
Units will be available for all Camosun students—both domestic and international. However, Porter says the college will be prioritizing Indigenous learners as well as former youth-in-care students in their yet-to-be developed eligibility policy.
“So the student housing is going to be available to students from both campuses,” he says. “We also will be prioritizing Indigenous learners and former youth-in-care students… We have to build those policies as much as we have to put up a physical building. But it has to be fair, it has to be equitable. 423 beds sounds like a lot, but we’ve got thousands of students.”
Bult anticipates the facility will boost student life on campus and foster a community environment at Camosun. She believes that with continued efforts to develop and plan the project further, Camosun will be able to maximize the benefit and reduce risk.
“Once it’s in effect, I believe that it will change the dynamic of the campus quite a lot. I think that it’s going to increase engagement and community on campus,” she says. “I think that it’s an amazing resource for a significant percentage of the students that Camosun can take in, and it’s just going to kind of amplify that experience so much more.”