The Missing Middle with Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern Cara Stern, Mike Moffatt, and Meredith Martin
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- News
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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.
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Could More Supply Crash the Housing Market?
In this discussion, Smart Prosperity Institute economist Mike Moffatt and journalist Cara Stern read a viewer email from Atanas Georgiev of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, who is wondering about potential negative side effects of a deflationary housing market if there is a drastic increase in housing supply. They explore the definition of affordability and the various pathways to achieving it, including reducing expenses, lowering interest rates, and increasing wages. They also discuss the poss...
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If Condo Sales are Down, Why Aren’t Prices?
Housing starts in Canada are falling, particularly in Ontario, and the situation is even worse than predicted. The non-condo ownership market has seen a massive decline over the last 20 years, with high land prices and development charges making it unaffordable for buyers. Yet prices aren’t coming down. Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern discuss this challenge and its effect on getting supply in both the rental and ownership markets.More reading:We need more than big promises to solve our housing cr...
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Is Raising the Capital Gains Tax a Good Idea?
In this discussion, Smart Prosperity Institute economist Mike Moffatt and journalist Cara Stern are joined by tax lawyer Bhuvana Rai with Mors Tribute and estate lawyer Birute Luksenaite with Portfolio Estate Law. They talk about the increase to the capital gains tax introduced by the government in the federal budget on April 16, 2024. They explain what capital gains are and how they are currently taxed. They also explore the arguments for and against the increase in the inclusion ...
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Could a Renter's Bill of Rights Actually Help?
The federal government of Canada is exploring ways to help renters, such as through the introduction of a Renter’s Bill of Rights. This conversation examines the government’s promises, and covers what impact they might have on renters and rental prices. It explores how price transparency affects the rental market and whether the government is doing enough. The rental market in Ontario is broken, but what are the limitations of the federal government's jurisdiction? Technical Producer: Mi...
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How Automatic Tax Filing Could Make Your Life Easier
In this discussion, Mike and Cara are joined by the executive director of Canadians for Tax Fairness Katrina Miller to discuss the benefits of automatic tax filing and how it can save people money. The conversation explores the concept of automatic tax filing, the groups that would benefit from it, the current status of its implementation in Canada, and the opposition it faces from tax accountants and software firms. The conversation also touches on the potential implementation of automa...
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Grading the Federal Budget: Housing Policy and Capital Gains Tax
In this discussion, Smart Prosperity Institute economist Mike Moffatt and journalist Cara Stern discuss the federal budget and its impact on housing. They cover new initiatives, such as opening up federal land for development and the deductibility of interest for tax reasons. They also discuss the government's commitment to building 2 million homes and the challenges of labor shortages and productivity in the housing sector. The hosts grade the government's success in addressing housing issue...
Customer Reviews
Great Canadian policy analysis
Very helpful for understanding the issues that face Canada today
A very informative podcast
The hosts do a great job as a pair to make very complicated economic problems much easier to understand, while still dealing with complex topics in a very nuanced way. Definitely best current podcast on Canadian political-economic challenges.
Needs more dodgeball discussion, though.
Fantastic
Very informative. Thank you for such a great podcast.