Cara Stern

The City of Toronto approved six-storey units on major roads. But bureaucracy is still killing these projects.

I was so mad about this article, I had to rant about it. I can't believe councillors are still fighting for "neighbourhood character" in 2026.

www.thestar.com/news...

Cross-Border Tension: How National Identity Shapes What Canadians Buy For some, avoiding U.S. products is patriotism. For others, it’s a luxury belief only the comfortable can afford.

And if you prefer reading over listening, the transcript is available here:

www.missingmiddleini...
3/3

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 Canadians are far more likely to boycott U.S. products, while younger Is “Buying Canadian” Actually a Luxury for the Rich?

Watch the full episode now on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

youtu.be/HAy0F_tacOg...
2/3

It’s time to rethink the systems that don't work for the next generation. As the global order shifts, how can Canada seize this opportunity to build an economy that works for all generations?

We talk about that today on the Missing Middle podcast.
1/3

Just listening to missing middle podcast from Family Day with @rmtransit.bsky.social and @carastern.bsky.social .

Our kids are teens now, but in their tot days the most important purchase for surviving on transit was a collapsible stroller that can be transformed one-handed. Peg Perego Si wins.

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...
3/3

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...
2/3

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.
1/3

Why Job Seekers Are Locked Out of the Economy Unemployment is low. Hiring isn’t happening. Inside Canada’s “low-hire, low-fire” job market.

And if you prefer reading over watching, the transcript is available here:
www.missingmiddleini...
3/3

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 trying to switch jobs, and you’ll hear a very different story: The Hidden Job Market Crisis No One Is Talking About

Watch the full episode here, or listen wherever you get your podcasts

youtu.be/UcTsszcmVbo...
2/3

The unemployment rate in Canada isn't bad, but that's not telling the full story.

Talk to young workers, or anyone trying to switch jobs, and you’ll hear a very different story.

Sabrina Maddeaux and Dr. Mike P. Moffatt talk about that on the Missing Middle podcast today.
1/3

Wow! Congrats on the advocacy that led to this!

YouTube video by Missing Middle Podcast Why Canadian Transit is Failing Families (and How to Fix It)

Lots of urbanisty people are becoming parents these days. How well is transit working for them?

(with @carastern.bsky.social and @rmtransit.bsky.social)

Watching with a nervous eye for my sons who will soon be (hopefully) entering the workforce, there's three things that concern me:

a) co-ops and internships opportunities are declining (from what I hear
b) Entry level positions are declining
c) hiring is an AI automated hell process

AI is Killing Entry-Level Jobs The 13% Drop Nobody is Talking About

Or if you prefer reading over watching, the transcript is available here:

www.missingmiddleini...
3/3

Yesterday, Bank of Canada governor Tiff Mackem warned that early evidence shows AI is reducing the number of entry-level jobs available in some occupations. Are we heading toward a future of mass unemployment, or is AI just the latest "calculator" to change how we work? Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt AI is Killing Entry-Level Jobs: The 13% Drop Nobody is Talking About

Watch the whole episode now on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

youtu.be/JGXsOK8nOl0...

2/3

Yesterday, the Bank of Canada's Tiff Macklem acknowledged that we are starting to see evidence of AI taking away entry-level jobs.

Dr. Mike P. Moffatt and I delve into that evidence today on DemograFix, on the Missing Middle Podcast.
1/3

Boom, Bust & Echo Revisited: What a 1996 Demographics Book Got Right and Very Wrong About Canada How population aging, immigration policy, and housing decisions shaped the Canada we’re living in now

And if you prefer reading, the full transcript is available here:

www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/p/boom-bust-...

YouTube video by Missing Middle Podcast They Predicted Canada’s Housing Crisis in 1996 — Why Didn’t We Listen?

The whole segment is available on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3VT...

Today on DemograFix, @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social and I do a re-reading of the Canadian classic book Boom, Bust, and Echo, to see what the authors got right and what they got wrong.

It's amazing to see how many of our current problems were predictable 30 years ahead of time.

How Birth Year Shapes Your Economic Future Does it even make sense to divide us by generations?

And if you prefer to read your podcasts, find the transcript here: www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/p/how-birth-...

YouTube video by Missing Middle Podcast How Birth Year Shapes Your Economic Future

Watch it now on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=chba...

What generation you're born in dictates so much of what kind of life you'll have in Canada.

That's the argument @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social makes on the first episode of Demografix, a Missing Middle podcast.

Happy to have contributed the cat carrier to this very well-done video on high speed rail.

(Blink and you’ll miss it.)

YouTube video by CBC What Canada can learn from Spain about high-speed rail | CBC Creator Network

Embedded YouTube link for Bluesky users ⤵️

"Canadians are closer than ever to having high-speed rail, but questions remain: Will it be accessible like Spain’s network, or will the cost of private financing price it out of reach for many?"

#alto #hsr

If you saw the new high-speed rail announcement today and want to know if we're on track for a successful project, Paige Saunders has got the perfect video on it, featuring @rmtransit.bsky.social (and a cameo from his baby!).

We're aiming high. But is it too high?

youtu.be/eOcxuGvf1uY?...

Grading Provinces on Housing: Who Earned an A and Who Deserves Detention? Hint: Onterrible lives up to its reputation

And if you prefer to read your podcasts, here's the transcript.

www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/p/grading-pr...

YouTube video by Missing Middle Podcast Grading Provinces on Housing: Who Earned an A and Who Deserves Detention?

To find out which provinces are doing well, and which one have some serious catching up to do, watch today's episode of the Missing Middle podcast on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsH6...

Sometimes cities put in policies like inclusionary zoning that end up increasing the cost of market-rate homes. Why do they keep implementing policies that don't work?

@mikepmoffatt.bsky.social grades every province on its housing policies in a new report by the Missing Middle Initiative.

Host Cara Stern is back from parental leave, and she and Mike are jumping right into one of the most debated topics in housing policy — rent control. Inspired by Zohran Mamdani's campaign rent freeze proposal, they dig into how these rules shape the housing market, not just for landlords and tenants Why Rent Control Might Be Hurting the People It’s Meant to Help

I'm back! After spending 10 months ranting to my infant about home prices and getting as much interest as politicians did when I first covered it, it's nice to talk to someone with a bit more knowledge and interest again.

Today on the Missing Middle!