UVic disappointed in the delay, says the impact will be felt by the community
Image via the University of Victoria.
On Oct. 3, 2025, the B.C. government announced it would commit $121 million to support a student housing expansion, which would add 510 beds for upper-year undergraduates and graduate students. The project was originally expected to be completed by fall 2029.
However, on Feb. 17, the B.C. government announced in its 2026 budget that the student housing expansion would be “re-paced.”
With the adjusted timeline, UVic’s student housing expansion is now expected to be completed in 2034, marking a projected five-year delay.
A statement released by UVic said the university is “deeply disappointed to learn that the Province of British Columbia has decided to delay our 510-bed student residence project under the constraints of Budget 2026,” and that the project will be pivotal in relieving pressure in Victoria’s rental market, while ensuring student housing options on campus.
In the same statement, UVic’s Acting President and Vice-Chancellor Qwul’sih’yah’maht, Robina Thomas said, “The impacts of this decision will be felt by many on our campus, and because the project was set to begin construction in May, the university has already invested significant time and resources in it. We remain committed to seeing the project through to completion as we continue to explore and advocate for student housing at UVic.”
Maggie Lawton, the Graduate Student Society’s (GSS) director of finance, told the Martlet the GSS was disappointed by the news of the delay, and that they had been advocating for the project for “well over five years” already.
“Graduate students are having [issues] now with the housing crisis, living expenses, long commute times … and I think it’s going to be a real detriment to everyone that we’re not going to have the opportunity for increased living spaces on campus,” she said.
Currently, less than two per cent of graduate students get on-campus housing, as there are roughly 3 000 graduate students at UVic, and only 50 beds available to them.
The student expansion, once completed, will add 150 more beds for graduate students, quadrupling the amount of on-campus beds available to them. The expansion will also add 360 beds for upper-year undergraduates.
The Martlet asked Bowinn Ma, B.C.’s minister of infrastructure, if the government communicated the adjusted timeline to UVic prior to the budget announcement, how much notice was given, what the criteria assessed were for adjusting the timeline, if they had any comment on Thomas’ statement, and if they had any comment on concerns from prospective students whose housing options may have been impacted.
Ma responded in a statement that the government has made record investments in student housing over the last eight years, including 7 300 student housing beds across the province, and 600 at UVic in 2023.
Ma said the timeline was adjusted to make sure the government can “continue to build the infrastructure people need for years to come.” Ma cited a need to adjust the pace of the capital plan to continue building schools, hospitals, transit, and infrastructure in a “sustainable way.”
Ma’s statement did not include any comment on the communication of the delay to the university, on Thomas’ statement, or student concerns.
“[The delay] was definitely very abrupt,” Lawton said when asked about the communication of the delay. “I know UVic was on the brink of breaking ground. We were actively in the process of helping them advocate with Saanich to allow some bylaw variances.”
Lawton told the Martlet that the GSS had spent a lot of time consulting with the university about the need for housing for graduate students, including the specifics of the housing expansion, such as pushing for separate spaces between graduate and undergraduate, noting the two groups of students are in “very different” stages of life. Lawton also said the GSS had been helping UVic advocate not just with Saanich, but with the province as well for bylaw variances.
UVic told the Martlet they did not have any information beyond what was in the B.C. budget, and said that it is too soon to discuss repercussions.
Ma said that, despite the delay, the government is still committed to the project and that they “look forward to working with the University of Victoria on [the] next steps.”
Lawton expressed hesitancy over the government’s commitment, saying, “If they’re going to so abruptly postpone things, I don’t know what else they’ll very abruptly do.”
“[Student housing] doesn’t just help students massively in providing them a closer place to live, somewhere reliable to reduce commute times, and rent expenses and the difficulty of working with landlords that too often will take advantage of students, but it also helps relieve pressure on local communities where students would normally live,” Lawton said.
