The use of agency nurses in the province’s health care system is having an impact on the availability of housing in many parts of the province.

That’s according to Registered Nurses Union President Yvette Coffey who says the use of agency, or so-called “Travel Nurses,” has increased substantially over the last year.

The health authority puts up travel nurses in the community, paying, in some cases, more than the average rental rate.

That, according to Coffey, is causing a greater problem.

She says they have nursing students who are attending MUN’s School of Nursing classes in Gander and Grand Falls-Windsor who can’t find housing to attend class. She says agency nurses are being provided with housing, putting a greater strain on an already-tight housing market.