The Canada Revenue Agency is facing a public crisis: long delays, wrong assessments, and frustrated taxpayers. Hosts Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt unpack the CRA’s 100-day “fix,” why it’s only a Band-Aid solution, and the deeper structural issues inside Canada’s tax system. From call-centre chaos to a tax code even accountants struggle to understand, this episode explores how CRA policies are eroding public trust and what real reform would look like.

Mike also shares his personal experience battling denied medical expense claims and the endless back-and-forth with CRA agents. Together, they discuss the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, the agency’s growing enforcement powers, and why ordinary Canadians are being left behind by a broken system.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

00:42 CRA's challenges

02:35 An incredibly complicated tax code

03:42 Understanding taxpayer complaints

04:50 Guilty until proven innocent

06:16 The numbers behind objecting to assessments

08:52 The taxpayer bill of rights

10:05 Personal experiences with CRA

13:42 BOOM!

Research/links:

There are much bigger problems with the CRA than just long hold times

This is the real problem with the Canada Revenue Agency

Taxpayer Bill of Rights

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/about-canada-revenue-agency-cra/taxpayer-bill-rights.html

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.

Rents are finally dropping in many Canadian cities, yet finding an affordable, decent apartment still feels impossible. What’s going on with the rental market?

In this episode, Sabrina Maddeaux sits down with Max Steinman, CEO of RentSync and Rentals.ca, to unpack what’s driving the recent rent declines, how rent control policies backfired, and why “financialization” isn’t the villain it’s made out to be.

We dive into how younger Canadians are coping with record-high housing costs, what renters should know about purpose-built rentals vs. condos, and how government policies might actually be making things worse.

Tell us your rental horror stories or questions at missingmiddlepodcast@gmail.com
Check out current rent data at Rentals.ca

Subscribe for more honest conversations about the housing crisis, policy failures, and creative solutions for the Missing Middle of Canada’s cities.

Chapters
00:00 Intro: Why Economists Hate Rent Control
00:15 Why rents are falling even as it feels harder than ever to find a place
01:00 The “perfect storm” behind today’s rental slowdown
03:45 How low churn rates and stagnant mobility worsen the crunch
05:10 Why Canada’s rental experience feels broken
07:00 How rent control backfired (and why landlords aren’t upgrading units)
09:45 Purpose-built rentals vs. condos: What renters need to know
13:00 Why vacancy control sounds good but hurts renters long-term
16:00 The myth of “financialization” in housing
19:00 Why REITs get so much hate, and what people get wrong
21:40 How Rentals.ca and RentSync are trying to modernize the rental experience
23:10 Closing thoughts and where to find Canada’s latest rent data

Links/Research:

The Missing Middle: REITs, Rent & Rage: Canada’s Housing Tug-of-War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7_vF7vodws

Rentals.ca National Rent Report – The data behind Canada’s rent trends, published monthly by Max’s team.
https://www.rentals.ca/national-rent-report

Can Homes Become Affordable Without Prices Going Down? – Missing Middle Initiative (April 2025)
https://www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/p/can-homes-become-affordable-again

Solving the Housing Supply Crunch: A 10-Step Plan for Federal Action – Missing Middle Initiative (August 2025)
https://www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/p/solving-the-housing-supply-crunch

From 40 to 100 Million: How Will Immigration Impact Canadian Housing? – Missing Middle Initiative
https://substack.com/home/post/p-165627719

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.

What happens when one city councillor gets Toronto council to vote in favour of “studying” garden suites on a single block, potentially undoing years of zoning reform? In this episode of The Missing Middle, Mike Moffatt and Meredith Martin dig into the Craven Road and Parkmount Avenue dispute to reveal how neighbourhood politics, NIMBYism, and endless “consultation” are slowing Toronto’s housing progress. From the satirical truth of McSweeney’s “Every NIMBY Speech at a Public Hearing” to the real frustrations of current and future home owners, Meredith and Mike explore why the city’s gentle density goals keep stalling, and how one councillor’s compromise could set a dangerous precedent for zoning across the city.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:47 The NIMBY phenomenon
03:32 Outlining the Craven and Parkmount garden suite dispute
05:45 Proposed compromises and their implications
07:30 Mike’s take on the compromise plan
09:29 Good zoning reforms make good neighbours
10:14 Future residents are excluded from the process
11:49 The Role of city councillors, residents and planners
14:15 Call to action

Research/links:
Every NIMBY’s Speech At a Public Hearing
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/every-nimbys-speech-at-a-public-hearing

NIMBYs will Fight Even the Gentlest of Density
https://youtu.be/6WavljFV7fM?si=O3jyplV1JRwiIxtd

Paula Fletcher
https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/council/members-of-council/councillor-ward-14/

Notice of Public Meeting - City-Initiated Amendment to Zoning By-law 569-2013 for performance standards for garden suites on through lots (Parkmount Road / Craven Road) - 91-209 Parkmount Road (Odd Addresses Only) and 160 Mountjoy Avenue

https://secure.toronto.ca/nm/api/individual/notice/6660.do

How Cities Keep Screwing up Multiplex Housing
https://youtu.be/MeojzNbB6Io?si=fbZ8hl3b6vnN-DrL

Broken Zoning: Why We Can’t Fix the Housing Crisis Without a Map
https://youtu.be/yuAsjJsiuyQ?si=iWyBl1j_LfNJ4S3y

Simpson reference:
https://youtu.be/lOTyUfOHgas?si=mbIwSskm6Jdll8yU

Journal of a New COBRA Recruit
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/journal-of-a-new-cobra-recruit

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.