On May 23, professionals who work in the industry to develop missing middle housing, as well as those interested in building them, gathered at the Toronto Reference Library for a one-day conference.

The Missing Middle podcast team spoke to the presenters and will be sharing those interviews with you each week on Fridays throughout the next month.

Blair Scorgie is a planner and urban designer, as well as an instructor at Toronto Metropolitan University. He talks about Toronto's newest multiplex bylaws, and what it could mean for building affordable, missing middle housing.

Chapters:
00:00 Introducing Blair Scorgie
02:29 Creating a New Market for Development
04:08 The Need for Incentives for Affordable Housing
05:35 Recommendations for Further Changes to the Bylaws

Links:
https://x.com/BlairScorgie

Producers: 
Cara Stern https://twitter.com/carastern
Meredith Martin https://twitter.com/meredithmartin
Ruth Tecle

Technical production by Mike Greene https://www.instagram.com/mikegreenemedia/

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.

Canada has seen a significant increase in the number of low-wage temporary foreign workers, raising concerns about the impact on the job market. The low-wage stream of temporary foreign workers is tied to specific employers and is measured relative to the provincial median wage. The government made changes to the program in 2022, allowing more temporary foreign workers and weakening the rules around their hiring. This has led to questions about whether the government is intentionally suppressing wages and making it easier for corporations to function with low wages. 

Mike and Cara discuss the effects of this program on Canadian residents, and what reforms are needed to make it fairer to workers.

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.

On May 23, professionals who work in the industry to develop missing middle housing, as well as those interested in building them, gathered at the Toronto Reference Library for a one-day conference.

The Missing Middle podcast team spoke to the presenters and will be sharing those interviews with you each week on Fridays throughout the month.

Max Goyzman works for Peakhill Capital, which provides financing for commercial real estate projects -- mostly apartment buildings. He discusses how financing works, and some of the challenges with lending money for missing middle project.

Links:
Peakhill Capital https://www.peakhillcapital.com/

Producers: 
Cara Stern https://twitter.com/carastern
Meredith Martin https://twitter.com/meredithmartin
Ruth Tecle

Technical production by Mike Greene https://www.instagram.com/mikegreenemedia/

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.

Back in 2021, Mike Moffatt wrote: "The top-10 most common ages to leave Toronto are the ten between the ages of 31–35 and 0–4. The single most common age is zero — that is, babies under the age of 1. That’s who is leaving Toronto."

Three years later, it's gotten worse. Young Families are leaving big cities across the country. Mike and Cara discuss the challenges young families face and the consequences on these cities.

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.

On May 23, professionals who work in the industry to develop missing middle housing, as well as those interested in building them, gathered at the Toronto Reference Library for a one-day conference.

The Missing Middle podcast team spoke to the presenters and will be sharing those interviews with you each week on Fridays throughout the next month.

Stephen Smith works for the Center for Building in North America, and he discusses how strict elevator policy in this continent has cut down on the number of homes available. It also dictates what types of homes are being built. He proposes a number of changes that could hopefully lead to more and better homes in North America.

Links:

The Center for Building in North America
The American Elevator Explains Why Housing Costs Have Skyrocketed 

Producers: 

Cara Stern https://twitter.com/carastern

Meredith Martin https://twitter.com/meredithmartin

Ruth Tecle

Technical production by Mike Greene https://www.instagram.com/mikegreenemedia/

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.

This conversation explores the intersection of the Yes In My Backyard movement and urbanism, focusing on the question of whether the end goal is to legalize or require dense, walkable neighborhoods. 

Mike and Cara discuss the benefits of walkable neighborhoods, the challenges of legalizing density, and the impact of taxation and development charges. They also consider the future of cities if these barriers to density were removed, including the potential for more low-rise and missing middle homes. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the role of private backyards and the trade-offs between density and suburban living.

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.

On May 23, professionals who work in the industry to develop missing middle housing, as well as those interested in building them, gathered at the Toronto Reference Library for a one-day conference.

The Missing Middle podcast team spoke to the presenters and will be sharing those interviews with you each week on Fridays throughout the next month.

Shea Gallagher, a principal with architecture firm Superkül, discusses a project he's working on along the Danforth in Toronto. He used it to demonstrate the challenges with building missing middle housing, in particular how servicing standards impact their ability to build within financial constraints.

Links:
Superkül https://www.superkul.ca/



Producers: 
Cara Stern https://twitter.com/carastern
Meredith Martin https://twitter.com/meredithmartin
Ruth Tecle

Technical production by Mike Greene https://www.instagram.com/mikegreenemedia/

This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation https://neptis.org/
Brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/

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.

Recently, economist Mike Moffatt got into a bit of a Twitter argument with housing advocates who think a land value tax can solve the housing crisis. He doesn’t think so. 

This conversation explores the idea of a land value tax as a solution to the housing crisis. The hosts discuss the concept of a land value tax, which involves increasing the tax on the land portion of property and using the revenue for other purposes. They debate the effectiveness of this approach and its potential impact on housing development. 

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:31 Defining a Land Value Tax
03:15 The Functioning of the Current Property Tax System
04:30 The Concept of Taxing Land Value
06:00 Taxing Land and Structure Components
07:10 What are the advocates advocating for?
08:20 Different Proposals for a Land Value Tax
09:45 The City of Toronto's Approach to Housing Development
11:30 Is a Land Value Tax the Way To Go?
13:00 Increasing efficiency of a property?
14:44 Consequences of a Land Value Tax for Homeowners
16:11 Do we want to Live the plot of Happy Gilmore?
17:45 Picking a Political Fight We Don’t Need to Pick
20:00 Encouraging Advocacy for Fairness and Solutions
21:15 When to Dip Your Shirt In Lemon Juice


Links:
How To Remove Ballpoint Pen Ink Stains From Your Clothing
https://www.sourcecollections.com/pages/stain-guides-ball-point-ink-stains#:~:text=For%20felt%20pen%20stains%2C%20lemon,stain%20and%20let%20it%20dry.&text=Next%2C%20scrub%20the%20stain%20using,your%20fingers%2C%20with%20cold%20water.

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.

On May 23, professionals who work in the industry to develop missing middle housing, as well as those interested in building them, gathered at the Toronto Reference Library for a one-day conference.

The Missing Middle podcast team spoke to the presenters and will be sharing those interviews with you each week on Fridays.

Evan Saskin, an architect and builder, discusses his company Blue Lion Building and their focus on multi-unit urban infill residential buildings. They specialize in subdividing single-family housing lots to create multiple residential units.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Blue Lion Building
02:18 Designing Sustainable and High-Quality Housing
03:34 The Process of Building Infill Properties
06:23 Navigating Bureaucratic Challenges in Housing Development

Links:
Blue Lion Building https://www.bluelionbuilding.com/

Producers: 
Cara Stern https://twitter.com/carastern
Meredith Martin https://twitter.com/meredithmartin
Ruth Tecle

Technical production by Mike Greene https://www.instagram.com/mikegreenemedia/

This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation https://neptis.org/
Brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/

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.

A recent Leger poll examined how young Canadians feel about their economic situation, and whether they're getting enough support from the government.

Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern discuss the results, which found that millennials and Gen Z feel they are worse off than their parents. They also touch on the perception that politicians prioritize the interests of older generations over younger ones. The conversation highlights the need for more government support and better allocation of resources to address the struggles faced by millennials. Cara and Mike express concerns about the future and the impact of high taxes and debt on younger generations.

The conversation explores the challenges faced by millennials in Canada, focusing on topics such as housing affordability, education, career prospects, and government spending. 

Links:
Opinions and Perspectives of Young Canadians: https://leger360.com/opinions-and-perspectives-of-young-canadians/#:~:text=More%20than%20two%2Dthirds%20of,it%20was%20for%20their%20parents.

War on the Young: 
https://www.profgalloway.com/war-on-the-young/ 

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.