The Missing Middle Podcast

Cities across Canada are backing away from upzoning. After agreeing to allow fourplexes and other missing middle housing, municipalities like Calgary, Toronto, Markham, and Windsor are scaling back — or reversing — reforms altogether. What’s behind the pushback, and are YIMBYs losing the as-of-right fight?

In this segment, we break down:

Why cities are rejecting upzoning after agreeing to it

What Calgary’s reversal means for housing reform

Why Edmonton is succeeding where others aren’t

The politics behind fourplex opposition

Whether provinces — not cities — should lead upzoning

What advocates should do next

Is this just a temporary backlash, or the beginning of a broader retreat from upzoning?

(Quick note from Cara: This was recorded before the first round ended. If the Oilers are already out at this release, I would like the record to show that I believed in them right up until the end, and that next year is our year!)

Chapters:
00:15 | The Housing Accelerator Fund and Refusal to Implement Changes
01:03 | GTA Holdouts: Oakville, Markham, and Toronto
02:04 | Calgary's Policy Reversal After Election
03:06 | Edmonton: Getting Infill Housing Right (8 Units As-of-Right)
04:11 | Debunking the Myths 
06:08 | The Policy Lesson: Working to Make Changes Stick
07:18 | The Path Forward: Debating Future Approaches 
15:29 | Winning Hearts and Minds: Focusing on Benefits 

Research/links:

Majority of Windsor council stands firm in fourplex decision, limits them to certain areas of the city
https://www.ctvnews.ca/windsor/article/majority-of-windsor-council-stands-firm-in-fourplex-decision-limits-them-to-certain-areas-of-the-city/

Fourplexes: A tale of two neighbouring communities
https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/projects/2024/04/fourplexes-a-tale-of-two-neighbouring-communities

2025: The year Edmonton built the missing middle
 https://www.jacobdawang.com/blog/2026/zbr-two-year-review/

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux
Produced by Meredith Martin
Funded by the Neptis Foundation https://neptis.org/

One year after Mark Carney’s stunning rise to power, how is his government actually performing?

In this episode, we break down the biggest political upset in recent Canadian history, from the collapse of a presumed Conservative victory to the Liberals’ unexpected dominance. Is Carney delivering where it counts?

We grade the government’s performance across the issues that matter most to Canadians:

The rising cost of living and inflation
The worsening housing affordability crisis
A fragile job market, especially for young Canadians
Canada’s high-stakes relationship with Donald Trump and the United States
Ongoing challenges in immigration policy and planning

Along the way, we explore why older voters have become a decisive political force, whether Canada is drifting toward a two-party system, and why there’s a growing disconnect between political popularity and real-world performance.

Is this government all talk, or are the foundations being laid for long-term success?

Chapters:

00:00 Intro: One Year After the Election, Carney’s More Popular Than Ever
00:00:30 Looking Back: How the Conservatives Lost a “Guaranteed” Win
00:02:13 The Senior Vote That Reshaped Canadian Politics
00:03:25 Grading the Government
00:04:36 Issue #1: Cost of Living
00:09:04 Issue #2: Economy & Jobs — Youth Employment Concerns
00:13:44 Issue #3: Trump, Trade & Canada–U.S. Relations
00:16:20 Issue #4: Immigration — Lack of Long-Term Plan
00:20:22 Issue #5: Housing Affordability — Mixed Progress
00:22:19 Ontario Housing Deals Change the Grade

Research:

https://x.com/DavidColetto/status/2043400016639983755/photo/1

https://abacusdata.ca/liberals-lead-by-6-by-elections/ 

https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/liberals-open-double-digit-national-lead-over-conservatives-advance-elections 

The Hidden Job Market Crisis No One Is Talking About
https://youtu.be/UcTsszcmVbo?si=1o3ECKoYBZk5uDTn
Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux
Produced by Meredith Martin
Funded by the Neptis Foundation https://neptis.org/

Climate change isn’t topping Canadians’ priority lists anymore, but that doesn’t mean people have stopped caring.

New polling shows only 13% of Canadians now rank climate change as a top personal issue, down sharply from 2019. With affordability, housing, and the economy dominating attention, it’s easy to think climate action has fallen off the radar.

But the data tells a more complicated story.

In this episode, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt break down new surveys from Abacus Data and Ipsos showing Canadians still feel a moral obligation to act, are making more sustainable purchasing decisions, and want governments to do more, even as optimism declines and affordability pressures grow.

They also explore why climate messaging may be backfiring, how individual actions can feel too small to matter, and why smart housing policy could reduce both emissions and household costs.

In this episode:

- Why climate change dropped in Canadians’ priorities
- Whether affordability is crowding out climate action
- Who’s actually buying sustainable products
- Why Canadians still want government action
- The gap between individual effort and policy leadership
- How housing policy can lower costs and emissions

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction: Climate Action vs. Affordability Trade-off
00:22 The Worrying Drop in Climate Change as a Top Priority
01:20 Climate Engagement Remains Strong Despite Affordability Issues
02:23 Who Are the Conscious Consumers? Income, Age, and the Moral Obligation
03:25 Generational Views on Climate Hope and Hopelessness
04:45 Why Bother? The Feeling of Tiny Individual Efforts
05:57 Government Action: Massive Mandate vs. Lack of Clear Plan
07:38 Blending Environment and Finance: Smart Housing Policy Solutions

Research/links:
https://moreandbetterhousing.ca/2024/11/19/fourpathways/
https://angusreid.org/election-2019-climate-change/
Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux
Produced by Meredith Martin
Funded by the Neptis Foundation https://neptis.org/

Rents are finally falling across Canada. But will it last? 

In this episode of Classonomics, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down new data from the CMHC showing rising vacancy rates, record rental supply, and the first meaningful relief for tenants in years. They explore why an influx of new housing and slower population growth are pushing rents down, and what that reveals about how housing markets actually work.

But the conversation goes deeper: from the real impact of immigration on housing demand, to the heated debate over rent control and new policy changes in Manitoba that could reshape the market. Will government intervention protect renters, or make the housing shortage worse? And what happens next as Canada’s population growth slows and hundreds of thousands of new units come online? 

00:40–01:38: Introduction: Rent Control in Manitoba and the Risk to New Housing Supply
01:38–02:58: CMHC Report Findings and the Impact of Supply on Decreased Rents
02:58–03:46: The Link Between Immigration Policy and Housing Scarcity
03:46–04:27: Future Rental Market Forecast: Supply-Demand Mismatch
04:27–05:38: Developers' Investment Decisions Based on Future Immigration Targets
05:38–09:24: The Core Debate: Personal Experience, Stability, and Rent Control's Impact on Supply
09:24–10:26: Detailed Breakdown of Manitoba's Bill 13 Rent Control Expansion
10:26–12:36: Controversy Over Above Guideline Increases (AGI) and Renters' Need for Stability
12:36–15:14: Concerns Over Sustainability, Discouraging Investment, and Who Should Cover Landlord Costs
15:14–16:17: Final Thoughts on Bill 13 and Conversation Conclusion
Research/Links:
NDP plan to expand Manitoba rent control protections
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-residential-tenancies-changes-renters-9.7125916

Big rent hikes — a made-in-Manitoba problem
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/big-rent-hikes-a-made-in-manitoba-problem/

Rent control killing jobs: landlords
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2026/04/07/rent-control-killing-jobs-landlords

Bill 13 - THE RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES AMENDMENT ACT
https://web2.gov.mb.ca/bills/43-3/b013e.php

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux
Produced by Meredith Martin
Funded by the Neptis Foundation https://neptis.org/

Young Canadians are now less happy than seniors, and the gap is getting worse.
The latest World Happiness Report shows Canadians under 30 have fallen to 71st in the world for life satisfaction, while Canada’s overall ranking has dropped from 5th to 25th. In this episode, Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern break down what’s driving the decline — from housing affordability and falling “option freedom” to expectations, social media, and why the drop is concentrated in countries like Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and Australia.
We also explain how the World Happiness Report actually works, why expectations matter as much as income, and what policy choices may be making young Canadians feel like they’re playing by a different set of rules.
Chapters
00:00 Intro: The U-Shape of Happiness and Midlife Crisis
00:51 Canada's New Phenomenon: Young Adults Are Less Happy
01:48 From 5th to 25th: Canada's Global Happiness Ranking
03:00 How Happiness is Measured: The Gallup Poll Ladder Question
04:43 The Fundamental Equation of Happiness: Expectations vs. Reality
06:11 Canada's Mixed Ratings: Inequality and "Option Freedom"
07:18 Social Media's Impact: Passive vs. Communication Platforms
08:50 The Real Solution: Fixing Middle Class Housing and Policy Choices

Research/links:
World Happiness Report 2026 | The World Happiness Report
https://www.worldhappiness.report/ed/2026/

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux
Produced by Meredith Martin
Funded by the Neptis Foundation https://neptis.org/