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  • Housing Promises: What Works, What Doesn’t, and What’s Missing

    Housing Promises: What Works, What Doesn’t, and What’s Missing
    2026/10/16
    With election day approaching across Ontario, are mayoral candidates offering real solutions to the housing crisis, or just slogans?Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt examine housing platforms from candidates in nine Ontario cities to see which proposals could actually make homes more affordable for middle-class families, renters, and first-time homebuyers.They break down the policies that could make a difference, the promises that need more scrutiny, and the municipal decisions that are shaping the future of housing in Ontario.In this episode:What's missing from candidates' housing plans? Why concrete targets, timelines, and realistic funding matter.Mississauga's property tax proposal: Would allowing seniors to defer property taxes help homeowners, or create new costs for taxpayers?Toronto's land transfer tax: Could cutting the tax help families move into homes that better suit their needs, and how would the city replace the lost revenue?Windsor's fourplex debate: What happens when municipal leaders oppose policies that could allow more homes to be built?Oshawa and Guelph's housing plans: Can faster approvals, lower development charges, and more flexible zoning improve affordability?The case for family-sized homes: Why building more housing means more than hitting unit targets, and why young families need more options.What good housing policy looks like: Mike shares the municipal reforms he would prioritize, from streamlining approvals to making starter homes cheaper to build.The big question: Can good housing policy win elections, and are municipal politicians willing to make the changes needed to help the next generation afford a home?Chapters:00:00 - Introduction: Analyzing Ontario’s Municipal Housing Platforms00:50 - What to Look For in a Middle-Class Housing Plan02:23 - Initial Reactions & "Where’s the Beef?"03:04 - Property Tax Deferrals for Seniors: Good or Bad Policy?06:30 - Land Transfer Taxes: Removing Barriers to Moving08:46 - Strong Mayor Powers & The Fourplex Veto Debate10:34 - Development Charges & Streamlining Approvals in Oshawa12:31 - Density on Arterials vs. Neighbourhood Infill14:59 - The Student Housing Crisis in Southwestern Ontario16:35 - Core Principles for a Real Municipal Housing Vision18:50 - Key Policies: Form-Based Zoning, AI Approvals, & Tax Reform21:37 - Does Good Housing Policy Actually Win Elections?Research/links:https://www.thestar.com/real-estate/why-toronto-s-next-council-could-be-decided-by-renters/article_24997d4c-28a5-4250-ab38-e5c7203c8252.htmlhttps://www.alvintedjo.ca/affordabilityhttps://chewforguelph.ca/priorities/https://bradford26.ca/news/brad-bradford-toronto-mayor-will-eliminate-torontos-land-transfer-tax-for-the-average-homebuyerhttps://www.ctvnews.ca/windsor/article/dilkens-vows-to-use-strong-mayor-powers-to-block-fourplex-changes-if-re-elected-francis-calls-it-fear-mongering/#:~:text=Dilkens%20vows%20to%20use%20strong%20mayor%20powers,Dilkens%20(right).%20(%20Sanjay%20Maru%2FCTV%20News%20Windsor)Credits:Mike Moffatt https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatthttps://bsky.app/profile/mikepmoffatt.bsky.socialCara Stern https://x.com/carasternhttps://bsky.app/profile/carastern.bsky.socialMeredith Martin https://twitter.com/meredithmartinhttps://bsky.app/profile/meredithmartin.bsky.socialSean Foreman@seanegertonforemanhttps://bsky.app/profile/seanforeman.bsky.socialCanadian Civilyoutube.com/CanadianCivilCo-op StudentFrancis Gabriel CarmonaHosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina MaddeauxProduced by Meredith MartinEdited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil
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    24 分
  • Stealing From the Future: The High Cost of Senior Benefits

    Stealing From the Future: The High Cost of Senior Benefits
    2026/10/14

    In this episode of Classonomics, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down why political promises to give "more money to seniors" actually enrich Canada's wealthiest demographic, the myth that retirees "paid into" Old Age Security, how brutal child benefit clawbacks contrast with generous senior write-offs, and how taking money from young workers is quietly hurting the economy.

    Chapters:


    00:00:00 The Problem with “More Money for Seniors”

    00:02:53 How OAS Works & Why Income Thresholds Matter

    00:04:36 The Conservative Payout Plan

    00:05:41 Seniors vs. Struggling Young Families

    00:08:32 Generational Theft & Economic Drag

    00:10:03 Why Politicians Pandering to Boomers Always Win

    00:13:23 We’ll Be $3 Trillion in Debt and Still Giving Discretionary Handouts

    00:14:37 Stop Giving Wealthy Retirees Welfare


    RESEARCH LINKS:

    Sabrina Maddeaux column (National Post) — https://nationalpost.com/opinion/sabrina-maddeaux-conservatives-lose-the-plot-with-pitch-for-higher-old-age-security


    Old Age Security — overview, amounts, and clawback thresholds (Government of Canada):

    https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/cpp/old-age-security.html


    Canada Child Benefit — income thresholds and calculation:

    https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/canada-child-benefit-overview.html


    Parliamentary Budget Officer — fiscal analysis of seniors benefits and OAS projections:

    https://www.pbo-dpb.ca


    Generation Squeeze — generational fairness and intergenerational transfers:

    https://www.gensqueeze.ca


    Net wealth data: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/241029/t001a-eng.htm


    Poverty data: https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/topics-start/poverty


    Parliamentary Budget Office costing: https://www.pbo-dpb.ca/en/epc-estimates--estimations-cpe/45/EL-45-1031563-P



    Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

    Produced by Meredith Martin

    Edited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil
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    17 分
  • The "Empty Land" Myth: Why Canada Can’t Just Sprout New Cities

    The "Empty Land" Myth: Why Canada Can’t Just Sprout New Cities
    2026/10/07

    In this episode of Classonomics, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down whether creating brand-new cities can actually solve Canada’s housing affordability crisis, how our metropolitan numbers compare globally, the failed history of planned-city experiments like Ontario's Townsend and Australia's Monarto, and why central planning can't replace the organic economic realities that make cities thrive.

    Chapters:

    00:00 Why Doesn’t Canada Build New Cities?
    01:23 Canada Is Already Creating New Cities
    03:10 Why Smaller Canadian Cities Are Growing Faster
    04:37 Does Canada Actually Need More Cities?
    09:20 Why Canada’s New City Plans Keep Failing
    14:20 Can the Free Market Create New Cities?
    16:20 Why Moving People Won’t Solve the Housing Crisis

    Research:

    UK New towns: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_towns_in_the_United_Kingdom


    Townsend:

    https://haldimandpress.com/townsend-the-metropolitan-city-that-never-was/


    Monarto:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarto,_South_Australia



    Credits:

    Mike Moffatt https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatt

    https://bsky.app/profile/mikepmoffatt.bsky.social


    Sabrina Maddeaux https://x.com/SabrinaMaddeaux


    Meredith Martin

    https://twitter.com/meredithmartin

    https://bsky.app/profile/meredithmartin.bsky.social


    Sean Foreman

    @seanegertonforeman

    https://bsky.app/profile/seanforeman.bsky.social


    Cara Stern https://x.com/carastern

    https://bsky.app/profile/carastern.bsky.social


    University Of Ottawa Co-op Student

    Francis Gabriel Carmona


    Funded by the Neptis Foundation https://neptis.org/

    Brought to you by the Missing Middle Initiative https://www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/



    Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

    Produced by Meredith Martin

    Edited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil
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    19 分
  • What Happens When an Outsider Runs for Party Leader? | Eric Lombardi

    What Happens When an Outsider Runs for Party Leader? | Eric Lombardi
    2026/10/06

    We often talk about how politics caters to seniors at the expense of young people, and that part of the cure is to get more young voices into politics.

    But what actually happens when a young outsider puts their name on the ballot for a major party leadership position?

    In this episode of Answer Period, former Ontario Liberal leadership candidate Eric Lombardi joins us for a candid conversation about his outsider campaign, navigating the tension between sound-bite politics and deep policy, and the double-edged sword of social media in modern campaigns. We'll dive into the harsh realities facing young political outsiders, what it truly takes to challenge the establishment, and key takeaways for the next generation of leaders looking to make a real impact.

    Credits:
    Mike Moffatt
    https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatt
    https://bsky.app/profile/mikepmoffatt.bsky.social

    Cara Stern
    https://x.com/carastern
    https://bsky.app/profile/carastern.bsky.social

    Meredith Martin
    https://twitter.com/meredithmartin
    https://bsky.app/profile/meredithmartin.bsky.social

    Sean Foreman
    @seanegertonforeman
    https://bsky.app/profile/seanforeman.bsky.social

    Canadian Civil
    youtube.com/CanadianCivil

    Co-op Student
    Francis Gabriel Carmona

    Brought to you by the Missing Middle Initiative https://www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/

    Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

    Produced by Meredith Martin

    Edited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil
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    59 分
  • Is the Housing Crisis Radicalizing Young Voters?

    Is the Housing Crisis Radicalizing Young Voters?
    2026/10/02

    Housing affordability is increasingly shaping how young people think about politics, political parties, and the future of democracy.

    On this episode of DemograFix, Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern explore what research tells us about the relationship between the housing crisis and young people's political views across North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

    Does declining housing affordability deepen the divide between younger and older voters? Is it pushing young people away from centrist parties, or toward the left or right? And what happens when an entire generation starts to lose faith in its ability to ever own a home?

    Mike puts six statements about housing and politics to Cara, drawing on academic research and polling data to explore how housing affordability is reshaping political priorities, polarization, voter engagement, and the desire for homeownership.


    Chapters:

    00:00 Housing Affordability Is a Global Crisis

    01:26 Could the Housing Crisis Radicalize Young Voters?

    03:45 Is Housing Widening the Generational Political Divide?

    06:24 Is the Housing Crisis Polarizing Young Voters?

    10:12 Is Housing Pushing Young People Left or Right?

    13:11 How Housing Is Creating a New Class Divide

    17:12 Is the Housing Crisis Driving Political Disengagement?

    19:38 Do Young People Still Want to Own a Home?


    Research/links:

    The Dangerous Disillusionment of Young Canadians
    https://macleans.ca/politics/the-dangerous-disillusionment-of-young-canadians/

    How to lose friends and alienate people: The social and political consequences of Europe’s housing crisis: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17816858241274918

    Three inconvenient truths:How to stop housing radicalising the young and killing the political centre
    https://www.martenscentre.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.pdf

    Economy and Space piece
    https://pureadmin.qub.ac.uk/ws/files/241804034/0308518x211022363.pdf

    What drives support for large-scale housing reform?
    https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19491247.2026.2630075

    Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

    Produced by Meredith Martin

    Edited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil
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    22 分
  • Bank of Canada’s Carolyn Rogers on Productivity, Trade-offs, and Housing

    Bank of Canada’s Carolyn Rogers on Productivity, Trade-offs, and Housing
    2026/10/01

    Join us for an exclusive post-speech interview with Bank of Canada Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Rogers following her address to the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce and CFA Society Victoria.


    In this conversation, Rogers sits down to unpack her frank speech on Canada's housing affordability dilemma. We discuss why interest rates are too blunt of a tool to fix housing, how Canada's heavy reliance on residential real estate impacts our national productivity, and what regulatory stress tests actually achieved versus what they couldn't fix. Plus, we dive into the trade-offs of measuring shelter costs in the CPI and what it will genuinely take to untangle the Canadian economy from the housing trap.


    Research:

    Canada’s housing market / Le marché canadien du logement

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C9jD5xQJdM


    Canada’s mortgage market—A question of balance Remarksby Carolyn Rogers at the Economic Club of Canada, November 6, 2024

    https://www.bankofcanada.ca/2024/11/canadas-mortgage-market-a-question-of-balance/



    Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

    Produced by Meredith Martin

    Edited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil
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    17 分
  • Paying In, Locked Out: Why EI Fails Young People

    Paying In, Locked Out: Why EI Fails Young People
    2026/09/30
    In this episode of Classonomics, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt examine how Canada’s outdated Employment Insurance model leaves young professionals and gig workers behind during record spikes in youth unemployment. They explore why current rules penalize urban renters, how maximum benefits fall short of basic living costs, and what practical policy reforms could fix the system for the modern workforce.Chapters:00:00 Canada’s EI System Wasn’t Built for Today’s Workers01:02 How Employment Insurance Became Outdated02:16 How EI Eligibility Actually Works03:10 Why Young Workers Are Falling Through the EI Gaps06:23 EI Doesn’t Cover Most Gig Workers07:38 The EI Rules That Punish Short-Term Jobs09:24 What Happens When EI Runs Out?11:11 Why Ottawa’s EI Fixes Aren’t Helping Young Workers15:03 EI Benefits Don’t Go Very Far in Toronto17:42 How We Could Actually Fix Employment InsuranceResearch:Statistics Canada - Employment Insurance Coverage Survey, 2024 (youth eligibility 50.3%, part-time 41.6%):https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/251029/dq251029a-eng.htmStatistics Canada - Labour Force Survey, July 2026 (youth unemployment 12.6%):https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/260807/dq260807a-eng.htmService Canada - EI regular benefits eligibility and the qualifying period rule:https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-regular-benefit/eligibility.htmlService Canada - EI benefit amount (55%, $729 weekly max, $68,900 MIE for 2026):https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-regular-benefit/benefit-amount.htmlESDC Digest of Benefit Entitlement Principles - long-tenured worker definition and 20 extra weeks:https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/ei/ei-list/reports/digest/chapter-1/extend-benefit-period.htmlESDC - EI Monitoring and Assessment Report 2024-25, Chapter 2 (34.4% entitlement exhaustion rate):https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/ei/ei-list/reports/monitoring2025/chapter2.htmlCanada Gazette SOR/2026-64 - 25.4% of unemployed were long-term unemployed in January 2026:https://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2026/2026-04-08/html/sor-dors64-eng.htmlRentals.ca March 2026 Rent Report - Toronto one-bedroom asking rent $2,206:https://rentals.ca/blog/rentals-ca-march-2026-rent-reportStatistics Canada - Experiences of self-employed workers in Canada, 2023:https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240603/dq240603b-eng.htmCanada Employment Insurance Commission - 2026 premium rate and $17.2B Operating Account deficit:https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/ei/ei-list/reports/premium/rates2026.htmlESDC - EI modernization consultations, Phase 2 What We Heard report (2022):https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2022/09/government-of-canada-releases-report-on-phase-2-of-the-employment-insurance-modernization-consultations.htmlIRPP - Canada's EI Is Once Again Failing Its Stress Test (benefit exhaustion as the coverage driver):https://irpp.org/research-studies/ei-failing-stress/C.D. Howe Institute - Should gig workers be covered by the EI regime? (the case against):https://cdhowe.org/publication/providing-gig-workers-ei-no-easy-answer/Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina MaddeauxProduced by Meredith MartinEdited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil
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    22 分
  • Can Egg Freezing Really Delay Your Biological Clock?

    Can Egg Freezing Really Delay Your Biological Clock?
    2026/09/25

    As life milestones like finishing school, buying a house, and getting married get pushed further into our 30s, biology remains the one deadline that refuses to bend. In this episode of DemograFix, hosts Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern take a deep dive into the business, economics, and realities of egg freezing, sparked by U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) publicly sharing her own fertility journey.

    Mike and Cara discuss how skyrocketing housing prices, student debt, and extended education force modern life choices to clash directly with biological clocks. They break down what real-world data shows about live birth success rates, explain why calling the procedure an insurance policy is deeply misleading, and unpack the steep financial burden and physical toll involved.

    While egg freezing gives many people options and extra time, this episode asks the bigger question of whether medical technology can truly fix the broader structural economic problems delaying family life today.


    Chapters:

    00:00 - Intro: Delayed Milestones and Biological Realities

    00:42 - AOC’s Journey & Public Misconceptions Around Egg Freezing

    01:52 - Why Economic Factors Are Pushing Fertility Later

    03:58 - Corporate Benefits: Workplace Culture vs. True Solutions

    05:12 - The Emotional and Physical Reality of the Process

    07:12 - High-Pressure Marketing and "Insurance Policy" Claims

    09:50 - What the Data Actually Says About Success Rates

    12:11 - Ideal Ages vs. Realities of When People Freeze Eggs

    13:28 - Financial Costs and Lack of Public Coverage

    15:12 - Common Myths About Aging Eggs and Fertility

    16:15 - The Need for Clinic Transparency and Industry Regulation

    17:20 - Conclusion: Fix Structural Causes, Not Just Biological Clocks


    Research/links:


    CARTR Plus Annual Report 2025

    https://cfas.ca/_Library/CARTR/2025_CARTR_annual_report_CFAS_2024_Data_.pdf


    Fertility Inc - Investigative Journalism Bureau

    https://ijb.utoronto.ca/projects/fertility-inc/


    Elective Egg Freezing for Age-Related Fertility Decline

    https://www.cmaj.ca/content/192/6/E142


    Mount Sinai Fertility - What to know about egg freezing

    https://mountsinaifertility.com/2025/03/28/what-to-know-about-egg-freezing/


    With Big Choices Ahead, Ocasio-Cortez Navigates New Territory

    https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/12/us/politics/with-big-choices-ahead-ocasio-cortez-navigates-new-territory.html


    Ocasio-Cortez’s decision riles some on right, while also winning admiration

    https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6030686-aoc-egg-freezing-controversy/


    AOC's egg-freezing posts on Instagram

    https://www.instagram.com/aoc


    And her TikTok

    https://www.tiktok.com/@aoc

    Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

    Produced by Meredith Martin

    Edited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil
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    19 分