The Missing Middle with Mike Moffatt and Sabrina Maddeaux

Cara Stern, Mike Moffatt, and Meredith Martin
  • 4.7 (45)
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  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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.

  1. 4D AGO

    Infill Housing Battles: What 15 Years of Data Reveal

    Why do some infill housing projects spark outrage while others fly under the radar? In this episode of The Missing Middle, host Sabrina Matto sits down with former London City Councillor and researcher Jesse Helmer to unpack 15 years of planning committee decisions. They explore why certain housing proposals face fierce opposition, what factors reduce pushback, and how cities can actually build more homes with community support. From surprising success stories to lessons learned in local politics, this conversation sheds light on the politics of infill housing—and why it matters for solving Canada’s housing crisis. If you’re interested in urban planning, housing affordability, or how communities can embrace smarter growth, this episode is for you. Chapters 00:00 Introduction  01:00 Infill development research with Jesse Helmer 02:40 Factors influencing opposition to housing proposals 05:30 Research methodology and analysis 08:23 Following up with residents after a project is built 11:15 Jesse’s personal journey as a London city councillor 14:08 Optimism for housing solutions 16:28  Personal reflections about Jesse’s time on London city council Research: https://www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/p/the-politics-of-infill-housing-what Guest: Jesse Helmer:  https://x.com/jesse_helmer 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.

    20 min

  2. AUG 20

    The High Cost of Losing Your Creative Class

    Canadian cities are facing a creative crisis. Rising housing costs are driving artists, musicians, designers, and other innovators out — and it’s not just culture that’s at risk. In this episode, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down how losing the “creative class” hurts local economies, tourism, and even a city’s ability to attract tech and finance talent. From the ripple effects on nightlife and small businesses to the loss of vital cultural spaces, we explore why cities can’t afford to price out their creative heartbeat — and what policies could help keep them. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:13 Defining the creative class exodus 02:57 How housing costs impacts creative workers 05:54 The economic consequences of pricing out creatives 08:45 The ripple effect of losing creative spaces to the housing crisis 11:16 You can’t simply trade artists for tech workers  12:50 How this impacts the tourism economy 14:50 Policy solutions for retaining creatives Research/Links: Richard Florida Toronto Arts Council economic impact study CBC Arts article on artist couples leaving Toronto Richard Florida's work on creative cities and economic development Business Parks Suck (but they don't have to) 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.

    17 min

  3. AUG 13

    Can Tax Reform Help Young Canadians Afford Homes?

    Are young Canadians being taxed like millionaires while living like broke students? Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt dive into the jaw-dropping disconnect between salaries, taxes, and the insane cost of housing. From bold tax reform ideas to creative fixes for rent, down payments, and wealth inequality, they tackle the policies (and politics) holding the next generation back. Expect sharp insights, a few laughs, and fresh solutions that could actually make life affordable again. Chapters 00:00 The Tax Burden on Young Canadians 11:24 Proposed Tax Reforms and Their Implications 23:17 Wealth Inequality and Asset Inflation 34:55 Finding Solutions for Young Canadians Research/Links: To fix housing, we must rethink what wealth means in Canada CIBC chief calls for tax changes to help young Canadians struggling to save money Canada housing affordability and market trends Wealthsimple 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.

    31 min

  4. AUG 6

    MURBs & The Housing Plot Twist No One Saw Coming

    What do cheesy Jean-Claude Van Damme movies and Canada’s rental housing crisis have in common? Apparently, more than you’d think! In this episode of The Missing Middle, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt hop in their imaginary time machine to explore how a long-forgotten 1970s tax trick—MURBs—might make a comeback to boost rental housing today. Will this retro loophole help fix our sky-high rents, or just mess with the condo market even more? Grab your popcorn and find out how investors, multiplexes, and a bit of tax magic could change the housing game all over again. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:51 Investing in housing: a time travel scenario 03:46 Why building apartments wasn’t a great investment 04:47 History of creating rental stock 06:07 Understanding the MERB 08:32 MURB tax deferrals 10:24 How MURB impacts condo construction 11:53 MURB now vs 1970s 13:19 The historical context of MERB and its implications Research/links: Time Cop trailer The Quiet Death of the Investor Condo? MURBs May Change the Game      Hosts:  Sabrina Maddeaux https://x.com/SabrinaMaddeaux  Mike Moffatt https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatt https://bsky.app/profile/mikepmoffatt.bsky.social Producer: Meredith Martin  https://twitter.com/meredithmartin  @meredithmartin.bsky.social Editor: Sean Foreman @seanegertonforeman @seanforeman.bsky.social This podcast is 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 This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation and brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute.

    16 min

  5. JUL 30

    REITs, Rent & Rage: Canada’s Housing Tug-of-War

    ​​In this episode of The Missing Middle, Mike Moffatt and Sabrina Maddeaux unpack the controversy around REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) and their role in Canada’s housing crisis. Are REITs really blocking affordable housing, or is the real issue deeper than greedy landlords? Mike and Sabrina break down how REITs work, why they’ve become political scapegoats, and what actually needs to change to build more truly affordable homes. If you’ve ever wondered who should be our landlords — mom-and-pops, corporations, or governments — this is the conversation you need to hear. Subscribe for weekly deep dives on housing, urban planning, and Canada’s affordability crisis. Drop your thoughts below: Who do YOU think should be Canada’s landlords? Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:55 Who should our landlords be? 03:44 Real Estate Investment Trusts  04:45 Mutual fund trust 05:45 Canada has an undeveloped REIT system 06:53 REIT push back on affordable housing 09:12 Who is to blame for affordable housing not getting built? 10:30 All of the other things that make it expensive to build 12:09 Should the government build more affordable housing? 12:37 Someone has to pay so who should it be?  16:11 What do we mean by affordable units? Research/links: Ford government scrapped Toronto affordable housing requirements after pushback from three REITs, documents show Reddit thread Everyone Wants Rentals, but No One Wants Landlords REIT data 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.

    17 min

  6. JUL 23

    Young Workers and the Public Service Purge

    In this episode of The Missing Middle, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down the massive wave of federal public service job cuts and how they’re slamming young Canadians the hardest. From thousands of lost student and contract jobs to long-term impacts on housing, wages, and health, they reveal how a shrinking government workforce could shut an entire generation out of shaping Canada’s future. They also dive into what this means for unions, the economy, and why real public service reform must include young voices. If you care about youth employment and the future of Canada’s workforce, you don’t want to miss this! Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:00 Federal public service job cuts explained 02:54 Our Video 03:46 The cohort effect and some historical context 05:12 The lack of young public sector workers in shaping policy 07:15 Mike’s experience in the federal public service 09:26 The talent vacuum 10:30 The effects of graduating in a recession 12:26 Ripple effects in the broader economy 13:45 Graduating in a recession can impact your health 16:30 Job hoarding and the role of unions 20:24 Future perspectives Research/links: Federal public service job cuts fall heavily on young workers Sabrina Maddeaux: Striking union should ditch anti-millennial contract demand How Colleges Broke Canadian Immigration The Short- and Long-Term Career Effects of Graduating in a Recession Life-Cycle Impacts of Graduating in a Recession 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.

    23 min

  7. JUL 16

    The $6.6 Billion Housing Disaster Politicians Won’t Talk About

    Toronto’s housing market is in free fall — new condo sales have plunged 97% since 2021, costing governments $6.6 billion in lost tax revenue every year. In this episode, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down shocking new data on record-low home sales, how this impacts construction jobs, and why the crisis could get worse before it gets better. They explain how cutting taxes like the GST could revive housing starts without sacrificing affordability, and debate whether foreign buyers and international students should play a role in the market recovery. Don’t miss this deep dive into the numbers and policy ideas that could reshape Canada’s housing future. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:39 Understanding the GTA housing market crash 02:28 Video Link - Where Did All the Jobs Go? 03:01 Governments could lose $6.6 Billion 06:20 Bad housing starts numbers explained 08:42 Contraction in the construction industry means 41000 jobs lost 10:40 How cutting the GST on new homes makes sense 14:00 We need high home construction and affordability 15:09 Foreign Investment and housing supply 16:40 Conclusion and future considerations Research: Toronto’s Housing Collapse Will Cost Governments $6.6 Billion a Year Where DID All the Jobs Go? The Mystery of Rising Unemployment Altus group reports:  https://www.bildgta.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/6.18.25-Job-Risk-Housing-Pipeline-GTA-Altus-Group.pdf https://www.bildgta.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Altus-Data-Solutions-media-backgrounder_May-2025.pdf Toronto New Home Sales Fall To Record Low, Just 42 Condos Sold In The City The Next Shoe to Drop How Vaughan is Cutting Housing Costs | The Agenda 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.

    18 min

  8. JUL 9

    Broken Zoning: Why We Can’t Fix the Housing Crisis Without a Map

    In this episode of The Missing Middle, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt are joined by urban planner Alex Beheshti for a deep dive into one of the most overlooked barriers to solving Canada’s housing crisis: zoning data. Alex makes the case for a Canadian Zoning Atlas—an ambitious but essential tool to bring clarity, consistency, and transparency to the country’s fragmented planning systems. They explore why zoning laws are so confusing, how the lack of machine-readable data cripples good policy, and what Canada can learn from international best practices. If we can map census data, why not zoning? From obscure codes to wedding vows about development charges (really!) this is a conversation about why better data might just be the key to better housing. Chapters 00:00 Introduction  01:00 Canada needs a housing crisis map 01:29 Alex shares his wedding vows 02:48 Previous Alex B episode 02:53 Mike’s philosophy of experimentation and failure 04:05 Understanding zoning: definitions and complexities 07:01 The need for centralized zoning data 09:19 The massive gap in urban planning data 10:30 Envisioning a Canadian zoning atlas 12:16 Canada should emulate the US and Australia 13:49 Future planning tools for Canada Research/links: Canada’s Housing Crisis Needs a Map Guest:  Alex Beheshti https://twitter.com/beheshtialex 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.

    17 min
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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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