The Missing Middle Podcast

Did the Greenbelt Break Ontario’s Housing System?

Ontario’s Greenbelt is often treated as untouchable — but is it actually making the housing crisis worse?In this episode of The Missing Middle, Mike Moffatt and Sabrina Maddeaux tackle the question viewers keep asking: can Ontario build enough family-friendly homes without touching the Greenbelt — and what happens if it doesn’t? They unpack how the Greenbelt was sold as a social contract, why governments never delivered the missing middle housing they promised, and how policies meant to stop sprawl may have actually pushed families farther away.The conversation breaks down four realistic paths forward: doing nothing, finally legalizing family-sized infill housing, cutting immigration to ease demand, or partially opening the Greenbelt — and why every option is politically fraught. Along the way, they explain leapfrog sprawl, why condos aren’t working for families, and how decades of policy avoidance have left young Canadians priced out and disillusioned.If you care about housing affordability, family-friendly neighborhoods, or the future of Ontario’s cities, this episode lays out the uncomfortable trade-offs politicians keep avoiding.Chapters:00:00 – Introduction00:47 – The Most Common Audience Question01:50 – Is the Greenbelt Politically Untouchable Now?05:23 – The Greenbelt’s Broken Social Contract10:05 – What Families Actually Need in a Home11:35 – How the Greenbelt Makes Sprawl Worse14:00 – Has Anyone Studied Greenbelt Sprawl?15:00 – Four Options for Housing vs the Greenbelt15:53 - Option 1: Do Nothing18:31 – Option 2: Fix Housing Without Expansion23:48 – Option 3: Cutting Immigration27:15 – Option 4: Opening the Greenbelt29:55 – What’s Most Likely to Happen Next?Research/links:Mike’s tweethttps://x.com/MikePMoffatt/status/1991593178085142851?s=20London’s Garden Belt:https://x.com/JenMTreadwell/status/2001256081188905271?s=20The Welfare Effects of Greenbelt Policy: Evidence from Englandhttps://academic.oup.com/ej/article/134/657/363/7276598Green Belts: Past; present; future?https://www.routledge.com/Green-Belts-Past-present-future/Sturzaker-Mell/p/book/9781138339392Hosted 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.

Ask Me Anything: Housing, Transit, and Our Podcast’s Future

In this special Ask Me Anything episode of The Missing Middle, the full team answers your biggest viewer questions on housing, transit, immigration, and affordability — and we share a major announcement about the future of the podcast. We also introduce our newest team member and talk candidly about why this work hits close to home for so many Canadians.The conversation dives into walkable neighbourhoods and small businesses, why governments struggle to act on housing affordability, the taboo around discussing immigration and housing together, transit as a pressure valve for urban sprawl, and why seniors are stuck in family-sized homes. Plus, we explain what’s changing on the show, including two new weekly episodes, DemograFix and Classonomics, and what it means for listeners going forward.Chapters00:00 Ask Me Anything 2025 and look ahead00:45 Meet our editor/technical producer Sean Foreman03:01 Introducing the new podcast DemograFix03:52 Introducing Classonomics04:16 You don’t need to do anything, we promise 🙂05:01 Meredith’s take on the future of Missing Middle podcasts07:29 Question from Matthieu Gagnon about walkability09:56 Rahim Ismail’s Question about the government being out of touch12:34 Examining the intentionality of the government's lack of response15:36 Chosing one stakeholder over another16:46  Vanessa MacDonald’s question about talking about immigration policy20:49 Daniel D'Angela’s question about good transit22:57 Seniors downsizing and banning all foreign ownershipResearch/links:Can Tax Reform Help Young People Afford Homes?https://youtu.be/rW9QZ91lF9k?si=lep3WbEYfmZATaUQ2025 Provincial HOMES Report Cardhttps://www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/p/2025-provincial-homes-report-cardThe Positive Utility of the Commute: Modeling Ideal Commute Time and Relative Desired Commute Amounthttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/263313349_The_Positive_Utility_of_the_Commute_Modeling_Ideal_Commute_Time_and_Relative_Desired_Commute_AmountMeasuring the Local Economic Impacts of Replacing On-Street Parking With Bike Laneshttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01944363.2019.1638816Hosted 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.

Fixing Canada’s Health Data Rules Without Killing Innovation

Is Canada’s life sciences and health tech sector heading toward a code red? In this episode, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt unpack how outdated and fragmented privacy laws are slowing innovation, and why aligning too closely with European regulations could make things even worse. They explore the “Brussels effect,” where the EU’s regulatory power shapes rules far beyond Europe, and how Canada may already be feeling its impact.The conversation dives into why modern health innovation depends on large-scale data, how Canada’s patchwork of federal and provincial rules creates costly barriers, and what lessons we could learn from countries like Japan and Singapore instead.Chapters:00:00 Introduction00:44 The Brussels Effect explained03:17 Outdated health-data and privacy rules04:13 Accessing lifescience data06:00 Safety vs innovation07:40 Europe lacks tech innovation08:55 We’re already adopting EU rules09:28 Asia leads the way in healthtech data regulationResearch:Health Innovation Doesn’t Have to Be This Hardhttps://www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/p/health-innovation-doesnt-have-to?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=webThe Draghi report on EU competitivenesshttps://commission.europa.eu/topics/competitiveness/draghi-report_enHosted 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.

Grading Provinces on Housing: Who Earned an A and Who Deserves Detention?

In this episode of the Missing Middle, hosts Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt break down his latest “home score” report, grading every Canadian province on housing. Atlantic provinces like New Brunswick and P.E.I. lead the way, while Ontario struggles, with high costs forcing young people to stay home longer and many residents moving away. The grades are based on 36 indicators covering supply, affordability, suitability, and societal outcomes.Mike also explores housing policies that help, harm, or have little impact, from inclusionary zoning to development charges. The episode highlights how some reforms succeed, others fail, and why provinces can learn from each other. Tune in to see which policies actually work and what it will take to improve housing across Canada.Chapters:00:00 Introduction to the Provincial HOMES Report Card00:45 The best and worst provinces at housing performance02:20 36 assessment points03:39 The report methodology05:17 Avoiding harmful and irrelevant policies06:24 Provinces that have irrelevant policies perform worse09:40 Inclusionary zoning12:30 Examining the number of adult children living at home13:56 Ways in which Ontario sucks at housing15:20 Political will(not to build housing in Ontario)17:58 The levels of government can learn from each other19:03 We were hoping BC would have better results19:28 Atlantic Canada doesn’t get in it’s own way21:51 How can the provinces improve?Research/links:2025 Provincial HOMES Report Cardhttps://open.substack.com/pub/missingmiddleinitiative/p/2025-provincial-homes-report-card?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewerModeling Inclusionary Zoning’s Impact on Housing Production in Los Angeles: Tradeoffs and Policy ImplicationsInclusionary-Zoning-Paper-April-2024-Final.pdfHosted 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.

Are We Ignoring a Generation of Struggling Young Men?

In this episode of the Missing Middle Podcast, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down a major shift in Canada’s income trends: men over retirement age are now earning more than men aged 25–34. They explain how seniors’ incomes have increased through pensions, investments, and government supports, while younger workers face slow wage growth, higher living costs, and inflation.The discussion explores key issues affecting younger generations in Canada, including housing affordability, childcare costs, wage stagnation, and intergenerational inequality. Sabrina and Mike talk about why young men are struggling in today’s economy, what this means for Canada’s workforce, and how policy changes could help.Chapters:00:00 Introduction00:42 New report shows young men earn less than senior men02:00 Senior men incomes have doubled since 1970s02:24 Young men’s incomes are down since the 1970s03:21 Where is the extra senior income coming from?05:53 The role of government transfers and entitlements07:30 Breaking down younger men’s incomes09:44 Housing have increased far faster than inflation since 197711:11 Why have wages gone down for young men?13:31 social taboos around talking about young men17:09 Concluding thoughtsResearch Links:What Happened to the Young Middle-Class Man?https://substack.com/home/post/p-181132084?source=queueHow Do Young Men See the World? We Asked Them.https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a63613007/young-men-america-2025/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.