

The Missing Middle with Mike Moffatt and Sabrina Maddeaux
Cara Stern, Mike Moffatt, and Meredith Martin
Welcome to the Missing Middle, a podcast about why the middle class in Canada is disappearing. We hope to help you understand why life is becoming unaffordable for so many in this country, and what can be done to reverse course.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 12, 2023 • 43min
How the BC Housing Minister is Going Big on Housing Supply
British Columbia's Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon joins Mike and Cara to talk about the big plans his government has to make it easier for developers to build homes. We cover everything from zoning, to immigration, and building with timber.Hosted by Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern, and produced by Meredith Martin.Thank you to the PLACE Centre. This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation.Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux Produced by Meredith Martin This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation and brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute.

Nov 24, 2023 • 19min
Trudeau Liberals' Fall Economic Statement Earns a C- Grade
Justin Trudeau's government released its Fall Economic Statement this week, introducing what Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland called meaty measures...and what Mike Moffatt grades at a C-. He explains why, and what they could have offered instead.Hosted by Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern, and produced by Meredith Martin.Thank you to the PLACE Centre. This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation.Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux Produced by Meredith Martin This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation and brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute.

Nov 10, 2023 • 20min
Green Leader Mike Schreiner on Fixing Housing in Ontario
Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner joined Mike and Cara to talk about his two private member's bills that aim to increase housing supply, as well as how he hopes to represent young people who have been priced out of the market.Hosted by Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern, and produced by Meredith Martin.Thank you to the PLACE Centre. This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation.Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux Produced by Meredith Martin This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation and brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute.

Nov 9, 2023 • 18min
Is Ontario Setting Up Cities to Fail Their Housing Targets?
The provincial government has set the target of 1.5 million homes in the province over a 10-year period. That involves major increases in the rate of construction, beyond anything we've seen in decades. To incentivize municipalities, the federal and provincial governments are tying infrastructure funding to these targets. But are these goals realistic? And what does a "new housing unit" mean?Hosted by Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern, and produced by Meredith Martin.Thank you to the PLACE Centre. This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation.Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux Produced by Meredith Martin This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation and brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute.

Nov 3, 2023 • 34min
How Realistic is this Housing Plan Anyway?
The Ontario NDP and Olivia Chow both recently released their housing plans. They're both big budget projects, but with wildly different calculations in how much it costs to build a home. Alex Beheshti is an urban planner and land economist with the Altus Group, and he joins Mike and Cara to evaluate the feasibility of these plans.Hosted by Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern, and produced by Meredith Martin.Thank you to the PLACE Centre. This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation.Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux Produced by Meredith Martin This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation and brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute.

Oct 26, 2023 • 23min
Are Development Charges Fair to Millennials and Gen Z?
A lot of politicians say that development charges are paid for out of the pockets of big developers, and save taxpayers from footing the bill for infrastructure. The question we have is: Is that really true?Hosted by Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern, and produced by Meredith Martin.Thank you to the PLACE Centre. This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation.Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux Produced by Meredith Martin This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation and brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute.

Oct 20, 2023 • 19min
Ontario Towns and Cities Debate Zoning for Multiplexes
When the Ontario government put together a Housing Affordability Task Force to advise them on housing policy, they got the advice to up-zone the whole province to a minimum of four units on any lot.The government decided against forcing municipalities to do that, but have advised municipalities that they should voluntarily do so.Recently, Guelph and Kitchener agreed to craft a bylaw, while Mississauga voted it down. Mike and Cara discuss these votes and how multiplexes could improve the housing market.Hosted by Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern, and produced by Meredith Martin.Thank you to the PLACE Centre. This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation.Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux Produced by Meredith Martin This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation and brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute.

Oct 5, 2023 • 32min
How the Left and Right Approach Economics These Days
Since Mike Moffatt has advised Justin Trudeau, and Sean Speer has advised Stephen Harper, we thought it would be fun to get them in a (virtual) room together to discuss how both sides of the political spectrum have changed their approaches on economics in recent years.Hosted by Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern, and produced by Meredith Martin.Thank you to the PLACE Centre and funded by the Neptis Foundation.Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux Produced by Meredith Martin This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation and brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute.

Sep 27, 2023 • 22min
How Universities and Colleges Make the Housing Crisis Worse
Mike's been talking for years about how Canada isn't considering international students in our immigration numbers. They all need places to live, so this oversight really messes with the housing market. Finally, politicians are starting to pay attention! He unpacks the story of how we got here and what needs to change.Hosted by Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern, and produced by Meredith Martin.Thank you to the PLACE Centre. This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation.Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux Produced by Meredith Martin This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation and brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute.

Sep 24, 2023 • 16min
Doug Ford Puts Land Back in the Greenbelt
Sean Speer, editor-at-large for The Hub, joins Cara and Mike to analyze what it means that Doug Ford reversed his land swap, and put the newly rezoned land back into the Greenbelt. Missing Middle is hosted by Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern, and produced by Meredith Martin.Thank you to the PLACE Centre. This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation.Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux Produced by Meredith Martin This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation and brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute.