The High Cost of Losing Your Creative Class Artwork

The Missing Middle with Mike Moffatt and Sabrina Maddeaux

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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The Missing Middle with Mike Moffatt and Sabrina Maddeaux

The High Cost of Losing Your Creative Class

August 20, 2025 • Cara Stern, Mike Moffatt, and Meredith Martin • Season 1 • Episode 123

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