Futureproofing Canada

In this engaging discussion, Zita Cobb, CEO of Shorefast and revitalizer of Fogo Island, shares her vision for community-led economic growth in Canada. She emphasizes the importance of local knowledge and sustainable development in shaping resilient economies. Cobb highlights the challenges faced by rural communities, advocating for a national strategy that prioritizes place-based solutions. The conversation also explores the value of partnerships in workforce development and how economic benefits should stay within local areas to foster a thriving future.

Indigenous businesses are now being launched at up to nine times the rate of non-Indigenous businesses. In this episode of Futureproofing Canada, Jennifer is joined by Tabatha Bull, President and CEO of the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business, for a conversation about the growing momentum of Indigenous-led businesses in Canada. Together they talk about the unique challenges these businesses face, including barriers to capital, the impact of federal policies like the Indian Act, and the disproportionate effects of tariffs. Bull outlines how Canada can better support Indigenous business growth and economic reconciliation by removing systemic obstacles and making space for Indigenous leadership at every level of decision-making.

In this episode, Jennifer is joined by Natan Obed, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, for a wide-ranging conversation on Inuit self-determination, infrastructure, and Canada’s future in the Arctic. Originally from Nunatsiavut, Obed has become one of the leading voices advocating for Inuit rights and equity within Canadian society. He shares his journey from studying at Tufts University to leading national efforts for policy change, and highlights the urgent need for infrastructure investments, from deep-water ports to clean energy projects. With a focus on practical solutions and long-term collaboration, he calls for Canada to move beyond symbolic gestures and into an era of respectful, results-driven partnership with Inuit communities.

Canada’s Cities Are Doing Too Much With Too Little — Here’s Why That Matters by IRPP

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, is an important industrial centre best known for its steel industry. But that industry is currently being threatened by the tariffs on steel and aluminium announced by the Trump administration. Our guest today is Matthew Shoemaker, Mayor of Sault Ste. Marie. Mayor Shoemaker is lobbying hard across the border to change a situation he can't make any sense of, but he also has ideas for what Canadian governments can do to help the city weather the storm and come out even stronger. Together we discuss the challenges posed by U.S. tariffs and global trade tensions. He outlines a vision for the city’s future that includes transitioning to greener steel production, expanding immigration to address labour needs, investing in infrastructure and greater support from federal and provincial partners.

In our first episode, Jennifer is joined by Ranj Pillai, Premier of Yukon, for a conversation about what it means to build economic resilience in the North. Premier Pillai speaks about Yukon’s response to global tensions and economic uncertainty, emphasizing infrastructure investment to support major investments in critical mineral projects. He underscores the importance of long-term planning, strong partnerships with Indigenous peoples and maintaining Arctic sovereignty. And, with Yukon’s economy performing well, he also highlights the creation of the Canadian Institute for Arctic Security to counter foreign interference and strengthen defence in the North.

This week, we’re once again brining you the audio from one of our most recent event. This time it’s from a webinar on Canada-U.S. relations that we held on March 5, 2025. The second Trump administration is turning into an unsettling roller-coaster ride, and Canadians can’t seem to get off. Every day seems to bring a new set of goalposts, demands and threats. In this webinar moderated by IRPP president and CEO Jennifer Ditchburn, IRPP Board members Jean Charest, Janice Charette, Ian Brodie and Christopher Sands unpacked the challenges facing Canadian governments in these tumultuous times and discussed what it will take to build economic and social resilience for the long haul. A video version of the event is also available on our website at irpp.org

As a new U.S. administration keeps threatening to impose tariffs on Canadian exports, the IRPP hosted a panel discussion on how to address the intersecting affordability and climate crises. Hosted in partnership with the Affordability Action Council, the panel featured Tyler Meredith, a former economic policy adviser to the Liberal government, Kathleen Monk, former director of communications to NDP leader Jack Layton, Karen Restoule, vice-president of Toronto-based Crestview Strategy and senior fellow at Macdonald-Laurier Institute and was moderated by Jennifer Ditchburn. The panel focused on how to protect households from the rising cost of living, how to minimize the impacts of extreme weather events and how to keep affordable food on the table. This podcast is the audio from that discussion.

On this last episode in this series, our co-hosts Hanan Ali and Natasha Mhuriro talked to four guests. Djaka Blais, Executive Director of Hogan’s Alley Society; Robert Byers, President & C-E-O of Namerind Housing Corporation; Joshua Evans, Associate Professor at the University of Alberta. and Franz Bernhardt, Postdoctoral Researcher at Aalborg University, Denmark. We spend time thinking about and imagining alternative models of community housing. How could or should Canada’s community housing sector look differently in the future? What are some good examples of innovative housing projects and practices from across the country – and around the world? What lessons can we learn? The production of the podcast series is led by Dr. Yushu Zhu and Dr. Meg Holden at Simon Fraser University as part of the Community Housing Canada project and the Housing Inequality in Canada project, in partnership with IRPP. Student researchers include Hanan Ali, Natasha Mhuriro, Pok Man Tong, and Khoa Vo. This podcast has been a dedicated collaboration, with production assistance by Ricardo Montrose, Cléa Desjardins and Luc Moulaison at IRPP, and audio producer Jackie G. Karen Sawatzky contributes to script editing for this episode. If you like what you heard and you want to know more about the Institute for Research on Public Policy, head over to https://irpp.org/. Additional resources: Hogen’s Alley Society - A Black-led non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the social, political, economic, and cultural well-being of people of African descent in Metro Vancouver. Namerind Housing Corporation - An Indigenous-led housing provider and social enterprise. Aboriginal Housing Management Association (AHMA) - An umbrella organization composed of 41 Members that are each Indigenous Housing providers. The first Indigenous Housing Authority in Canada and only the second in the world. Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services - A non-profit housing provider with a focus on the Indigenous community. Housing Boom in Gateway Cities – Book written by David Ley, 2023. Utilising a comparative approach in five gateway cities, the author provides an understanding of the politics of booms, lifting the debate beyond narrow housing and real estate studies. Policy fact sheet: National Building Fund, Denmark. European Construction Sector Observatory. 2019. The resilience of social rental housing in the United Kingdom, Sweden and Denmark: How institutions matter. Timothy Blackwell & Bo Bengtsson. Housing Studies. 2023. 38:2, 269-289.

In this episode of Demystifying Community Housing, we hear from Alex Hemingway, Christina Maes Nino and Steve Pomeroy, on the various challenges facing the community housing sector and how to bolster its resilience. Additional resources: • Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative (CHEC), a network of more than 30 academics and more than 50 practice partners representing policymakers, housing providers and equity-seeking groups, to accelerate evidence-based solutions that advance Canada’s National Housing Strategy • Business Transformation: Promising Practices for Social and Affordable Housing in Canada. 2015. Published by Housing Partnership Canada. • The Community Housing Transformation Centre, a network of organizations that represent and serve the needs of Canada’s community housing sector. The centre provides access to tools, financial resources and best practices to support the growth, transformation and resilience of community housing. Funding: This podcast series receives funding from the Canada Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Partnership Grant for The Community Housing project [430-2021-00887] and the Insight Development Grant for the Housing Inequality project [890-2018-1013].