In this episode of Classonomix, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down what actually makes a home “family-friendly,” and what a survey of 4,000 Canadians reveals about whether townhomes, strawberry-box bungalows, and apartment towers are truly fit for raising kids. They unpack the developmental science behind childhood outcomes, introduce the “kitchen window test” for fostering independent play, and explain why the family-friendly courtyard apartments popular across Europe remain effectively illegal to build under Canadian zoning and building codes.

Chapters:

00:00 The Great Family Exodus

00:58 Defining Family Friendly Homes

05:15 Rating Canadian Homes: Suburbs to Condos

10:05 The Low-Rise vs. High-Rise Trap for Kids

14:38 What Science Says About Raising Kids in Suburbs

18:05 Why Public Parks Fail Young Families

19:23 The "Kitchen Window Test"

20:15 The European Courtyard Alternative

22:41 Why It’s So Hard to Build Family Housing

Research:

Social housing: A key part of past and future housing policyhttps://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2020/10/social-housing-a-key-part-of-past-and-future-housing-policy_ef96d6d9/5b54f96b-en.pdf

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

Edited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil

How did hundreds of millions of dollars in Ontario student aid end up at the centre of a major funding scandal, and why did it take so long for the government to act?

In this episode of DemograFix, Cara Stern sits down with Alex Usher, president of Higher Education Strategy Associates and author of the annual State of Post-Secondary Education in Canada report, to investigate the OSAP funding scandal and the Ontario Provincial Police’s criminal probe into alleged fraud at private career colleges.

They unpack how Ontario’s student aid system went wrong, what the investigation means for students and taxpayers, and what this scandal reveals about the flaws in Canada’s post-secondary funding system.

They also explore the growing generational divide: why Gen Z is facing more debt, fewer opportunities, and a tougher path to financial security than previous generations.

Subscribe for more conversations about Canada’s economy, demographics, and the policies shaping our future.

Chapters:

00:00 – "I Did Everything Right" (Why Gen Z is Struggling)
01:51 – What is a Career College?
02:38 – The $1 Billion OSAP Fraud Scandal Exposed
05:13 – Why Ontario Cut Student Grants Instead of Stopping Fraud
06:25 – Hundreds of Colleges Are About to Go Under
10:32 – Cover-ups, Lawsuits & Freedom of Information
11:05 – Is a College Degree Still Worth It in 2026?
12:16 – The Truth About "Credential Inflation"
14:51 – Do We Really Need 4-Year Degrees Anymore?
18:47 – Net-Zero Tuition: How Student Aid Actually Works

Research:
The Contemptible OSAP Cover-Up
https://higheredstrategy.com/the-contemptible-osap-cover-up/

How Doug Ford’s OSAP changes are forcing Ontario students to make a choice: Go deep into debt or drop out
https://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/how-doug-fords-osap-changes-are-forcing-ontario-students-to-make-a-choice-go-deep-into-debt-or-drop-out/article_3cdce5f9-fec7-4faf-95f9-a79592f487a0.html

Court records show Ontario's 'serious concerns' about three career colleges
https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/education-and-training/court-records-show-ontarios-serious-concerns-about-three-career-colleges-12851478

This Ontario career college has suspended classes. Here’s why
https://www.cp24.com/politics/queens-park/2026/10/18/this-ontario-career-college-has-suspended-classes-heres-why/

$385M in OSAP grants sent to students at 7 career colleges last year, documents show
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/385m-in-osap-grants-sent-to-students-at-7-career-colleges-last-year-documents-show/

The State of Post-Secondary Education in Canada, 2026
https://higheredstrategy.com/the-state-of-post-secondary-education-in-canada-2026/


Credits:
Cara Stern https://x.com/carastern
https://bsky.app/profile/carastern.bsky.social

Meredith Martin
https://twitter.com/meredithmartin
https://bsky.app/profile/meredithmartin.bsky.social

Paige Saunders
https://site.canadiancivil.com/profiles/

Sean Foreman
@seanegertonforeman
https://bsky.app/profile/seanforeman.bsky.social

Mike Moffatt https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatt
https://bsky.app/profile/mikepmoffatt.bsky.social

University Of Ottawa Co-op Student
Francis Gabriel Carmona

Brought to you by the Missing Middle Initiative https://www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

Edited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil

Why is it getting so hard to afford a night out? From $200 dinners and sky-high concert tickets to the disappearance of cheap bowling alleys and dinner parties, having fun is becoming a luxury. In this episode of Classonomics, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down how soaring housing costs, stagnant wage growth and rising entertainment prices are changing the way we socialize. As affordable third spaces disappear and young Canadians spend more time alone, are we facing a loneliness crisis fuelled by the cost of living? And what happens when we can no longer afford the everyday experiences that bring us together?

Chapters:

00:00 - Why Having Fun Got So Expensive
00:49 - The Data Behind the Loneliness Epidemic
03:10 - Rent, Wages & Skyrocketing Ticket Prices
07:16 - Splurge Culture: Concerts vs. Real Life
10:34 - What Happened to Cheap Hangout Spots?
13:55 - How the Housing Crisis Killed Dinner Parties
22:15 - The Rise of the "Alone Economy"
25:17 - The Hidden Cost of Living Alone

Research:

NetNewsLedger - Funflation is raising concert, sports and streaming costs for Canadians:
https://www.netnewsledger.com/2026/07/16/funflation-is-raising-concert-sports-and-streaming-costs-for-canadians/

Bloomberg Opinion (Allison Schrager) - Why Bowl Together When You Can Scroll Alone? (Lucky Strike, league decline, third places):
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-10-04/why-bowl-together-when-you-can-scroll-alone

The Atlantic (Derek Thompson) - Why Americans Stopped Throwing Dinner Parties (42% to 12% hosting monthly):
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/10/americans-socialization-dinner-decline-hosting/688846/

Pollstar - 2025 Year-End Business Analysis (average ticket $96.17 in 2019, $132.62 in 2025; stadium average $216.13, up 18.3%):
https://news.pollstar.com/?p=1214179

City of Toronto staff report (July 2026) - grassroots music venues: ~5% own their buildings, ~30 lost 2014 to pandemic, 50% property tax cut:
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2026/ec/bgrd/backgroundfile-289602.pdf

Statistics Canada - Survey of Household Spending, 2023 (recreation $5,231; one-person households and shelter share):
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/250521/dq250521a-eng.htm

Statistics Canada - Time pressure and time spent with friends over the last 30 years:
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/250617/dq250617d-eng.htm

Canadian Press - Canadians spending less time with friends:
https://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/article/canadians-spending-less-time-with-friends-especially-those-of-working-age-statcan/

Statistics Canada - Canadian Social Survey: Loneliness in Canada (2021):
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/211124/dq211124e-eng.htm
https://asiatimes.com/2026/09/asias-lonely-economy-of-one/

Statistics Canada - Loneliness as a Quality of Life Framework indicator:
https://www160.statcan.gc.ca/society-societe/loneliness-solitude-eng.htm

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

Edited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil

In this episode of Classonomics, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down why political promises to give "more money to seniors" actually enrich Canada's wealthiest demographic, the myth that retirees "paid into" Old Age Security, how brutal child benefit clawbacks contrast with generous senior write-offs, and how taking money from young workers is quietly hurting the economy.

Chapters:

00:00:00 The Problem with “More Money for Seniors”

00:02:53 How OAS Works & Why Income Thresholds Matter

00:04:36 The Conservative Payout Plan

00:05:41 Seniors vs. Struggling Young Families

00:08:32 Generational Theft & Economic Drag

00:10:03 Why Politicians Pandering to Boomers Always Win

00:13:23 We’ll Be $3 Trillion in Debt and Still Giving Discretionary Handouts

00:14:37 Stop Giving Wealthy Retirees Welfare

RESEARCH LINKS:

Sabrina Maddeaux column (National Post) — https://nationalpost.com/opinion/sabrina-maddeaux-conservatives-lose-the-plot-with-pitch-for-higher-old-age-security

Old Age Security — overview, amounts, and clawback thresholds (Government of Canada):

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/cpp/old-age-security.html

Canada Child Benefit — income thresholds and calculation:

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/canada-child-benefit-overview.html

Parliamentary Budget Officer — fiscal analysis of seniors benefits and OAS projections:

https://www.pbo-dpb.ca

Generation Squeeze — generational fairness and intergenerational transfers:

https://www.gensqueeze.ca

Net wealth data: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/241029/t001a-eng.htm

Poverty data: https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/topics-start/poverty

Parliamentary Budget Office costing: https://www.pbo-dpb.ca/en/epc-estimates--estimations-cpe/45/EL-45-1031563-P

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

Edited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil

In this episode of Classonomics, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down whether creating brand-new cities can actually solve Canada’s housing affordability crisis, how our metropolitan numbers compare globally, the failed history of planned-city experiments like Ontario's Townsend and Australia's Monarto, and why central planning can't replace the organic economic realities that make cities thrive.

Chapters:

00:00 Why Doesn’t Canada Build New Cities?
01:23 Canada Is Already Creating New Cities
03:10 Why Smaller Canadian Cities Are Growing Faster
04:37 Does Canada Actually Need More Cities?
09:20 Why Canada’s New City Plans Keep Failing
14:20 Can the Free Market Create New Cities?
16:20 Why Moving People Won’t Solve the Housing Crisis

Research:

UK New towns: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_towns_in_the_United_Kingdom

Townsend:

https://haldimandpress.com/townsend-the-metropolitan-city-that-never-was/

Monarto:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarto,_South_Australia

Credits:

Mike Moffatt https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatt

https://bsky.app/profile/mikepmoffatt.bsky.social

Sabrina Maddeaux https://x.com/SabrinaMaddeaux

Meredith Martin

https://twitter.com/meredithmartin

https://bsky.app/profile/meredithmartin.bsky.social

Sean Foreman

@seanegertonforeman

https://bsky.app/profile/seanforeman.bsky.social

Cara Stern https://x.com/carastern

https://bsky.app/profile/carastern.bsky.social

University Of Ottawa Co-op Student

Francis Gabriel Carmona

Funded by the Neptis Foundation https://neptis.org/

Brought to you by the Missing Middle Initiative https://www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

Edited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil

We often talk about how politics caters to seniors at the expense of young people, and that part of the cure is to get more young voices into politics.

But what actually happens when a young outsider puts their name on the ballot for a major party leadership position?

In this episode of Answer Period, former Ontario Liberal leadership candidate Eric Lombardi joins us for a candid conversation about his outsider campaign, navigating the tension between sound-bite politics and deep policy, and the double-edged sword of social media in modern campaigns. We'll dive into the harsh realities facing young political outsiders, what it truly takes to challenge the establishment, and key takeaways for the next generation of leaders looking to make a real impact.

Credits:
Mike Moffatt
https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatt
https://bsky.app/profile/mikepmoffatt.bsky.social

Cara Stern
https://x.com/carastern
https://bsky.app/profile/carastern.bsky.social

Meredith Martin
https://twitter.com/meredithmartin
https://bsky.app/profile/meredithmartin.bsky.social

Sean Foreman
@seanegertonforeman
https://bsky.app/profile/seanforeman.bsky.social

Canadian Civil
youtube.com/CanadianCivil

Co-op Student
Francis Gabriel Carmona

Brought to you by the Missing Middle Initiative https://www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

Edited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil

Housing affordability is increasingly shaping how young people think about politics, political parties, and the future of democracy.

On this episode of DemograFix, Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern explore what research tells us about the relationship between the housing crisis and young people's political views across North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

Does declining housing affordability deepen the divide between younger and older voters? Is it pushing young people away from centrist parties, or toward the left or right? And what happens when an entire generation starts to lose faith in its ability to ever own a home?

Mike puts six statements about housing and politics to Cara, drawing on academic research and polling data to explore how housing affordability is reshaping political priorities, polarization, voter engagement, and the desire for homeownership.

Chapters:

00:00 Housing Affordability Is a Global Crisis

01:26 Could the Housing Crisis Radicalize Young Voters?

03:45 Is Housing Widening the Generational Political Divide?

06:24 Is the Housing Crisis Polarizing Young Voters?

10:12 Is Housing Pushing Young People Left or Right?

13:11 How Housing Is Creating a New Class Divide

17:12 Is the Housing Crisis Driving Political Disengagement?

19:38 Do Young People Still Want to Own a Home?

Research/links:

The Dangerous Disillusionment of Young Canadians
https://macleans.ca/politics/the-dangerous-disillusionment-of-young-canadians/

How to lose friends and alienate people: The social and political consequences of Europe’s housing crisis: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17816858241274918

Three inconvenient truths:How to stop housing radicalising the young and killing the political centre
https://www.martenscentre.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.pdf

Economy and Space piece
https://pureadmin.qub.ac.uk/ws/files/241804034/0308518x211022363.pdf

What drives support for large-scale housing reform?
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19491247.2026.2630075

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

Edited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil