Meredith Martin 🇨🇦

“Marriage and family should not be considered a luxury good,”
www.nytimes.com/2026...

In the wake of the Olympics, with Heated Rivalry still smouldering, hockey has never been bigger The sport finds itself square in the gaze of mainstream pop culture, if only momentarily

“It’s being able to get your head around the idea that people will love and hate you, sometimes simultaneously, and do both things at an unreasonable level.“

The Middle Class Squeeze: Why Rising Incomes Don’t Feel Like Progress Exploring the gap between economic statistics and lived reality for today’s middle class.

And for those who prefer to read the transcript rather than watch/listen, here's a link to our Substack:

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 unemployment is low. So why does it feel harder than ever to afford a home, raise You’re “Middle Class” on Paper. So Why Do You Feel Broke?

Here's the full episode where @SabrinaMaddeaux & @MikepMoffatt tackle the viral argument that the middle class isn’t struggling — it’s being mismeasured.

Is our inflation data lying to us? How can the price of TVs be 95% less than they were in 2000 but still cost $900? @SabrinaMaddeaux & @MikePMoffatt dig into data on Today's Classononomics

Trump’s State of the Union was historic in at least one respect: It was the longest SOTU ever. Was the plan to turn public opinion around by boring America into submission? open.substack.com/pu...

Opinion | John Roberts Is Losing Patience With Trump How to read the gratuitous paragraph in the chief justice’s tariff opinion.

Good read

Ontario Cities are Sitting on $10 Billion in Cash Development charges aren't murdering the housing market, instead it's involuntary manslaughter

Both scenarios are perfectly legal, but are they cool? I do not think so.

The cities of Ontario have done something similar with Development Charge money. As of 2023-2024, the City of Toronto held approximately $3.1 billion in accumulated development charge (DC) reserves, part of a total of $10+ billion held across all Ontario municipalities.

Inequality has widened in part because we tax income more heavily than wealth. The ultra-wealthy derive most of their resources from assets, report relatively little income, and borrow against their holdings, enabling them to access wealth while limiting taxes.

Good thing all of our national pride doesn’t hang on one sport.

The Disappearing "Third Place": Why It’s So Hard to Make Friends as an Adult How cities make it harder to find your people

And if you prefer to read, here's the transcript:
www.missingmiddleini...
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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't home (the first place) or work (the second place). Fro Why It’s So Hard to Make Friends As an Adult

We talk about loneliness, making friends as an adult, and the death of third places in today's episode of DemograFix on the Missing Middle podcast.

Watch the full segment here or listen wherever you get your podcasts: youtu.be/WYFTsrvwr0o...
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Why does the City of Toronto still give non-means-tested discounts to seniors for rec programs when young Canadians are, on average, poorer, more likely to live in poverty, and report feeling disconnected from their community at higher rates? Might be time for a change.
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Winter is really kicking the shit out of Toronto this year. I hope the rest of the country is enjoying it.

I’m looking forward to AI taking over everything just so we can stop taking about it.

Special Guest Mike Moffatt- Founding Director of The Missing Middle Initiative at the University of Ottawa Housing & particularly Young Canadians chances of Home Ownership is one of the most important issues in Canada today. How do it get so bad? Why is it so hard to fix? Why has government done so What's Wrong With Canadian Housing

New episode... of Ron Butler's podcast! Ron and I chat about the housing crisis. How we got here and what the future holds.

Watch here:

Opinion: Policy alone won’t fix Canada’s fertility crisis. We need a cultural shift More and more Canadian women are stopping at one child, if they choose to have children at all

In hindsight having two children was the most patriotic thing I’ve ever done.

And for everyone who prefers to read the transcript rather than watch/listen, here's a link to our Substack: open.substack.com/pu...

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 private vehicle is the only safe or convenient way to get around, Cara Why Canadian Transit is Failing Families (and How to Fix It)

In this episode of DemograFix, Cara Stern and Reece Martin, of @RM_Trasit, tackle the reality of navigating Canadian cities with kids.

Family day is coming up, so on today's DemograFix, @CaraStren & @RM_Transit explore why our transit systems often fail families – and how we can fix them. Hint: Platform doors would be a wonderful safety feature for everyone!

Opinion | The Finance Industry Is a Grift. Let’s Start Treating It That Way. Regulating the industry is useful. Shaming it is crucial.

By Oren Cass
Mr. Cass, a contributing Opinion writer, is the chief economist at American Compass, a conservative economic think tank, and writes the newsletter Understanding America.

House Backs Rescinding Tariffs on Canada in a Rebuke to President www.nytimes.com/live...

And for those of you who prefer to read the transcript rather than watch/listen, here's a link to our Substack: open.substack.com/pu...

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 Missing Middle – Classonomics, we unpack why a generation priced Why Risky Bets Are Rational in a Housing Crisis

From crypto to sports gambling, this “financial nihilism” is a rational response to a broken system. Here's the full episode of today's Classonomics with @SabrinaMaddeaux & @MikePMoffatt.

We are inundated by sports betting and crypto ads. Is it any wonder young people are increasingly taking the little earnings they have & making risky bets? On today’s Classonomics, @SabrinaMaddeaux & @MikePMoffatt dive into this growing problem and the solutions.

Is this were we leave generalized complaints about how my old dishwasher worked for 25 years and my new dishwasher only lasted 5?

Satisfaction with government action on housing is stuck around 20% across every level. New poll for the Canadian Home Builders Association shows Canadians expect Ottawa to lead but think it’s falling short. abacusdata.ca/unlocking-h...

And for those of you who prefer to read the transcript rather than watch/listen, here's a link to our Substack: open.substack.com/pu...

Canada’s housing ladder is broken. In this episode of Missing Middle, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt explain why the starter home no longer works and how an entire generation has been locked out of moving up. They compare buying a detached home in 2004 for $168,000 with today’s reality, where co Why Condos Are Trapping a Whole Generation

On today's episode of Classonomics, @SabrinaMaddeaux & @MikepMoffatt explain why the starter home no longer works and how an entire generation has been locked out of moving up.