Cara Stern
@carastern
Journalist Obsessed with housing and the ongoing disappearance of the middle class. Co-host for the Missing Middle podcast with Mike Moffatt Former producer for The Agenda with Steve Paikin on TVO
You can't solve homelessness if the middle class is still priced out of homes, so focus on the solutions that help everyone. That's what Dr. Mike P. Moffatt argues on today's episode of the Missing Middle podcast. 1/3
If we just wait, will the housing crisis solve itself simply due to demographic change? We talk about that theory today on the Missing Middle podcast. 1/3
Community is a machine, and if you participate in keeping it running, it'll be there for you when you need it. We talk about that today on the Missing Middle podcast with The Hub editor Harrison Lowman. 1/3
There's a big different between seniors discounts and surveillance pricing, says VassB on the Missing Middle podcast today. This new type of pricing uses your data in creepy ways you might not even know about. 1/3
The federal government recently announced its Sovereign Wealth Fund. Today on the Missing Middle, producer Meredith Martin 🇨🇦 speaks with Dr. Mike P. Moffatt about what it is and whether Canadians care. 1/3
The public finally understands just how harmful development charges have been to homebuyers. We spoke to Kim Fairley from the Ontario Real Estate Association on the Missing Middle podcast this week about the development charge changes in Ontario, and what needs to happen next. 1/3
The only way upzoning a whole city works is if people get on board with it. People need to recognize how they personally can benefit from better neighbourhood developments. We talk about that on the Missing Middle Podcast today. 1/3
Canadians still care about climate change, but their priorities have shifted as the cost of living has increased. But luckily, you don't have to decide between environmental action and affordability, if you allow more homes to be built in climate-friendly ways. 1/3
The costs and expectations of raising children have gone up over the past few decades. Today on the Missing Middle, we talk about whether people having fewer kids nowadays is just a preference, or a choice they're being pushed into due to rising costs. 1/3
If you want to see reform in Canada in any one particular issue, chances are a proportional representation system will improve the odds of it happening, says today's Missing Middle guest, PAIGE! 🍁 1/3
Canada is becoming less of a meritocracy over time, which is causing some major problems. It shouldn't be the case that who your parents are is the biggest determinant of whether you'll be successful, but it's becoming increasingly true. We discuss that today on DemograFix. 1/3
While advocating for more homes, I've been told many times that young Canadians need to get used to renting apartments. That it's the norm in Europe. But our apartments are nothing like European family-sized apartments. We explain why on this week's DemograFix. 1/3
The City of Toronto approved six-storey units on major roads. But bureaucracy is still killing these projects. I was so mad about this article, I had to rant about it. I can't believe councillors are still fighting for "neighbourhood character" in 2026. www.thestar.com/news...
It’s time to rethink the systems that don't work for the next generation. As the global order shifts, how can Canada seize this opportunity to build an economy that works for all generations? We talk about that today on the Missing Middle podcast. 1/3
Why does the City of Toronto still give non-means-tested discounts to seniors for rec programs when young Canadians are, on average, poorer, more likely to live in poverty, and report feeling disconnected from their community at higher rates? Might be time for a change. 1/3
The unemployment rate in Canada isn't bad, but that's not telling the full story. Talk to young workers, or anyone trying to switch jobs, and you’ll hear a very different story. Sabrina Maddeaux and Dr. Mike P. Moffatt talk about that on the Missing Middle podcast today. 1/3
Yesterday, the Bank of Canada's Tiff Macklem acknowledged that we are starting to see evidence of AI taking away entry-level jobs. Dr. Mike P. Moffatt and I delve into that evidence today on DemograFix, on the Missing Middle Podcast. 1/3
Today on DemograFix, @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social and I do a re-reading of the Canadian classic book Boom, Bust, and Echo, to see what the authors got right and what they got wrong. It's amazing to see how many of our current problems were predictable 30 years ahead of time.
What generation you're born in dictates so much of what kind of life you'll have in Canada. That's the argument @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social makes on the first episode of Demografix, a Missing Middle podcast.
Sometimes cities put in policies like inclusionary zoning that end up increasing the cost of market-rate homes. Why do they keep implementing policies that don't work? @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social grades every province on its housing policies in a new report by the Missing Middle Initiative.
Lots of people claim Canada's housing crisis is really a global issue. But turns out: It is, in fact, made in Canada. Today on the Missing Middle podcast, we compare Canada’s record to other OECD countries (spoiler: it’s not flattering).
Toronto's garden suite reforms have only produced 143 units since 2022. It's mind-blowing, considering the city's housing crisis, and it's time to fight back. @meredithmartin.bsky.social would like to see some housing advocates attend the council meeting on Oct. 22 to fight for progress.
I've been finding the narrative around the GST holiday fixing a "vibecession" incredibly offensive. It feels like our governments, economists and academics are gaslighting us when they say it's just perception. We need to rethink how we talk about and measure the economy.
There are lots of provinces in Canada that aren't great at getting homes built, but Ontario is uniquely terrible at it. We talk about what makes Ontario so bad at it. And yes, it's a lot of policy choices. It doesn't have to be this way! youtu.be/yP5R0gTRlnQ
Whatever you think re: the necessity of Canada Post, this kind of fight is what's needed to stop what is basically the enshittification of work. Standing up for future generations, despite paying for it now, is huge and something that a lot of people wouldn't do. Love to see it.
Today on the Missing Middle, we go over the four pathways to fixing the housing crisis that @MikePMoffatt unveiled in his latest research report. These are actions that politicians could take right now if they want to fix cost of homes. youtu.be/1m0XukGXPrQ...
The way we see it, any innovation that can get housing built faster is a win. Today on the Missing Middle, we spoke to Nicholas Renzetti here at the Smart Prosperity Institute about the opportunities that mass timber provides for homebuilding and jobs. youtu.be/PN1MJhKJr9I
The housing crisis in many American cities helped Trump get elected. It doesn't matter how well GDP or the stock market is doing. If people can't afford sufficient shelter, they're not going to believe you. We talk about it on the Missing Middle today. www.youtube.com/watc...
On this week's Missing Middle podcast, we spoke to @moreneighboursto.bsky.social's Eric Lombardi about Canada's soft corruption problem. Here, he talks about the cost of building transit per km, here vs. in Europe. The difference is staggering!
Infrastructure and homes in Canada are expensive and constantly going over their budgets. @MoreNeighbours' founder @EricDLombardi says the problem is soft corruption. He outlines the issue and potential solutions in today's Missing Middle podcast. youtu.be/FBAhAS5zGcw...