The Missing Middle Podcast
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.
Episodes
175 episodes
Did Canada Ignore Immigration Fraud on Purpose?
Canada’s international student program is under fire and the numbers are hard to ignore.In this episode, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down a shocking Auditor General report that uncovered major enforcement failures inside Cana...
The War Over Upzoning Just Escalated
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 be...
Carney’s Canada After 1 Year: What’s Working (and What’s Not)
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 t...
Did Housing Affordability Kill Climate Action?
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 affor...
Rents Are Dropping… So Why Expand Rent Control?
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 f...
What’s Making Young Canadians So Unhappy? The Data Is Brutal
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 f...
Greed Vs. Fear: The Economic Policy Killing Canadian Innovation
Canada has a massive problem: our national productivity is near the bottom of the G7. Decades of government policies, from free trade to tax cuts, haven't worked.Why? Because policymakers are focused on greed (incentives) and ...
The "Zombie Myth" About Why Birth Rates Are Dropping
If birth rates are falling, is it really because people want fewer kids—or because they feel like they can’t afford them?In this episode, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt unpack the growing gap between “preference” and “choice” when it comes...
The Sneaky Tax Hike Nobody Voted For
Are provincial governments raising your taxes in secret? Economist Mike Moffatt and columnist Sabrina Maddeaux expose the hidden mechanism of bracket creep, a stealth tax increase impacting millions of Canadians.
How to Save $130,000 on Your New Home in Ontario
For years, the Missing Middle team has advocated for reducing the tax burden on new construction. With pre-construction sales down 95% in some GTA markets, the industry has hit a wall where it simply makes no financial sense to build.
The Inflation Number You Hear vs. The One You Feel
If inflation is only around 2–3%, why does everything feel so much more expensive?In this episode, we break down how inflation is actually measured, and why your personal experience can feel completely disconnected from the of...
Paige Saunders: Why the US and Canada are Trapped (and how New Zealand escaped)
In this episode of The Missing Middle, Cara Stern sits down with YouTuber Paige Saunders to discuss the one structural glitch that is sabotaging Canada’s economy, healthcare, and housing market: our electoral system.While most d...
Second-Time Buyers Are Screwed (And Ignored)
You built equity, planned ahead, and did everything right, so why is the next step on the housing ladder completely out of reach?Canada’s housing crisis is usually framed around first-time buyers struggling to get into the mar...
The Meritocracy Myth: Is Canada Still the Land of Opportunity?
Is Canada still a “land of opportunity,” or has your success become a function of who your parents are?In this segment, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt dive into the uncomfortable reality of meritocracy in Canada. While Boomers largely belie...
The Statistical Illusion Inside Canada’s Housing Data
In 2025, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) reported nearly 260,000 housing starts, a figure that suggests real progress on the housing crisis. But a deeper look reveals a much more complicated and concerning reality....
Why You Can’t Find a Rental for Your Family (It’s Not Just the Price)
Looking for a family-sized apartment in Canada feels almost impossible. In this episode, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt explore why they’re so rare in Canadian cities and why building regulations, zoning, and outdated fire safety rules make larger...
Out of Nowhere: How Canada Fell Behind Alabama
Is the Canadian dream officially broken? A recent headline claiming Canada is now poorer than Alabama sparked outrage and pearl-clutching from coast to coast. But beyond the headlines, what does the data actually say about our quality of life?<...
The Giant Planning Error That Destroyed Housing Supply
For decades, housing planners have assumed that seniors would eventually downsize, freeing up family homes for the next generation. But that hasn’t happened.In this episode, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt explore why most seniors choose to ...
If We’re Not in a Recession… Why Does It Feel Like One?
If Canada isn’t in a recession, why does it feel like one for so many Canadians?In this episode of Classonomics from The Missing Middle, hosts Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt dig into one of the biggest contradictions in today’s econom...
Is “Buying Canadian” Actually a Luxury for the Rich?
Is boycotting American products a patriotic duty, or a luxury belief most Canadians can’t afford?In this episode of The Missing Middle, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt unpack the growing generational divide in Canada, and why older Canadian...
You’re “Middle Class” on Paper. So Why Do You Feel Broke?
If $130,000 is the new poverty line… what does that make you?In this episode of Classonomics, we tackle the viral argument that the middle class isn’t struggling — it’s being mismeasured. On paper, incomes are up and unemploymen...
The Disappearing "Third Place": Why Making Friends Is Getting Harder
Why is it so hard to make friends once you leave school? In this episode of The Missing Middle, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt dive into the "Loneliness Epidemic" and the disappearing concept of the Third Place – those vital social hubs that aren'...
The Hidden Job Market Crisis No One Is Talking About
The unemployment rate says everything is fine. So why does finding a job feel impossible?Canada has added nearly 200,000 jobs and unemployment sits around 6.5%. On paper, that’s a “normal” economy. But talk to young workers, or anyone tr...
Why Canadian Transit is Failing Families (and How to Fix It)
Does having a baby mean you're officially "car-dependent"? In this episode of DemograFix, Cara Stern and Reece Martin, of @RMTrasit, tackle the reality of navigating Canadian cities with kids. While many parents are told that a priv...
Why Risky Bets Are Rational in a Housing Crisis
Your 20s: risky bets, crypto hype, and meme stocks. 🎲 Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt explain why being priced out of a home is turning saving into gambling — and why young men are taking the biggest swings.In this episode of The Missi...
