The Illusion of Choice: Why We’re Having Fewer Kids Is the declining birth rate a shift in preference or a response to a broken economy?

And if reading is more your thing, the transcript is available here:
www.missingmiddleini...
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The "Zombie Myth" About Why Birth Rates Are Dropping If birth rates are falling, is it really because people want fewer kids—or because they feel like they can’t afford them? In this episode, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt unpack the growing gap between “preference” and “choice” when it comes to starting a family. From the rising financial and social co

Watch the full episode now on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
youtu.be/V-YqXHJF0WI...
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The costs and expectations of raising children have gone up over the past few decades. Today on the Missing Middle, we talk about whether people having fewer kids nowadays is just a preference, or a choice they're being pushed into due to rising costs.
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Why Electoral Reform Is the Missing Piece in Canadian Democracy How one structural glitch is sabotaging Canada’s economy, healthcare, and housing market.

And if you prefer reading to watching or listening, read the transcript here: www.missingmiddleini...
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Paige Saunders: Why the US and Canada are Trapped (and how New Zealand escaped) In this episode of The Missing Middle, Cara Stern sits down with YouTuber Paige Saunders to discuss the one structural glitch that is sabotaging Canada’s economy, healthcare, and housing market: our electoral system. While most democracies have moved on to Proportional Representation, Canada remains

Watch the full conversation on YouTube now: youtu.be/Ah180Nag_C4...
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If you want to see reform in Canada in any one particular issue, chances are a proportional representation system will improve the odds of it happening, says today's Missing Middle guest, PAIGE! 🍁
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When @rmtransit.bsky.social and @englishrail.bsky.social team up to give transit advice, I listen!

Oh, how I'd love faster streetcars. I hope @mayoroliviachow.ca pays attention to this plan.

Is Canada Still a Meritocracy? It Depends Who You Ask Hard work is supposed to lead to success, but for many Canadians, that promise feels increasingly uncertain.

And for those of you who prefer reading, here's the transcript: www.missingmiddleini...
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The Meritocracy Myth: Is Canada Still the Land of Opportunity? Is Canada still a “land of opportunity,” or has your success become a function of who your parents are? In this segment, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt dive into the uncomfortable reality of meritocracy in Canada. While Boomers largely believe hard work still pays off, Millennials and Gen Z are seeing

Watch the full segment here or listen wherever you get your podcasts: www.youtube.com/watc...
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Canada is becoming less of a meritocracy over time, which is causing some major problems. It shouldn't be the case that who your parents are is the biggest determinant of whether you'll be successful, but it's becoming increasingly true.

We discuss that today on DemograFix.
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Family-Sized Homes in Canada: Rare, Expensive, and Out Of Reach Exploring how building codes, zoning, and outdated regulations make family-sized homes scarce and what that means for families in Canadian cities.

And for those who prefer to read than watch, the transcript is available here: www.missingmiddleini...
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Why You Can’t Find a Rental for Your Family (It’s Not Just the Price) Looking for a family-sized apartment in Canada feels almost impossible. In this episode, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt explore why they’re so rare in Canadian cities and why building regulations, zoning, and outdated fire safety rules make larger units nearly impossible to construct. Restrictive codes

Watch the full episode now on YouTube: youtu.be/dMNq1gUJzgI...
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While advocating for more homes, I've been told many times that young Canadians need to get used to renting apartments. That it's the norm in Europe.

But our apartments are nothing like European family-sized apartments. We explain why on this week's DemograFix.
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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...
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Is “Buying Canadian” Actually a Luxury for the Rich? 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

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

youtu.be/HAy0F_tacOg...
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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.
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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...
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Why It’s So Hard to Make Friends As an Adult 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

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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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...
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The Hidden Job Market Crisis No One Is Talking About 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:

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

youtu.be/UcTsszcmVbo...
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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.
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Wow! Congrats on the advocacy that led to this!

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

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

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

youtu.be/JGXsOK8nOl0...

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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.
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