Paying In, Locked Out: Why EI Fails Young People

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 Crisis01:26 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 Divide17:12 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 Canadianshttps://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 centrehttps://www.martenscentre.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.pdf Economy and Space piecehttps://pureadmin.qub.ac.uk/ws/files/241804034/0308518x211022363.pdfWhat drives support for large-scale housing reform? https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19491247.2026.2630075Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina MaddeauxProduced by Meredith MartinEdited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil

Join us for an exclusive post-speech interview with Bank of Canada Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Rogers following her address to the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce and CFA Society Victoria.In this conversation, Rogers sits down to unpack her frank speech on Canada's housing affordability dilemma. We discuss why interest rates are too blunt of a tool to fix housing, how Canada's heavy reliance on residential real estate impacts our national productivity, and what regulatory stress tests actually achieved versus what they couldn't fix. Plus, we dive into the trade-offs of measuring shelter costs in the CPI and what it will genuinely take to untangle the Canadian economy from the housing trap.Research:Canada’s housing market / Le marché canadien du logementhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C9jD5xQJdMCanada’s mortgage market—A question of balance Remarksby Carolyn Rogers at the Economic Club of Canada, November 6, 2024https://www.bankofcanada.ca/2024/11/canadas-mortgage-market-a-question-of-balance/Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina MaddeauxProduced by Meredith MartinEdited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil

In this episode of Classonomics, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt examine how Canada’s outdated Employment Insurance model leaves young professionals and gig workers behind during record spikes in youth unemployment. They explore why current rules penalize urban renters, how maximum benefits fall short of basic living costs, and what practical policy reforms could fix the system for the modern workforce.Chapters:00:00 Canada’s EI System Wasn’t Built for Today’s Workers01:02 How Employment Insurance Became Outdated02:16 How EI Eligibility Actually Works03:10 Why Young Workers Are Falling Through the EI Gaps06:23 EI Doesn’t Cover Most Gig Workers07:38 The EI Rules That Punish Short-Term Jobs09:24 What Happens When EI Runs Out?11:11 Why Ottawa’s EI Fixes Aren’t Helping Young Workers15:03 EI Benefits Don’t Go Very Far in Toronto17:42 How We Could Actually Fix Employment InsuranceResearch:Statistics Canada - Employment Insurance Coverage Survey, 2024 (youth eligibility 50.3%, part-time 41.6%):https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/251029/dq251029a-eng.htmStatistics Canada - Labour Force Survey, July 2026 (youth unemployment 12.6%):https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/260807/dq260807a-eng.htmService Canada - EI regular benefits eligibility and the qualifying period rule:https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-regular-benefit/eligibility.htmlService Canada - EI benefit amount (55%, $729 weekly max, $68,900 MIE for 2026):https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-regular-benefit/benefit-amount.htmlESDC Digest of Benefit Entitlement Principles - long-tenured worker definition and 20 extra weeks:https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/ei/ei-list/reports/digest/chapter-1/extend-benefit-period.htmlESDC - EI Monitoring and Assessment Report 2024-25, Chapter 2 (34.4% entitlement exhaustion rate):https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/ei/ei-list/reports/monitoring2025/chapter2.htmlCanada Gazette SOR/2026-64 - 25.4% of unemployed were long-term unemployed in January 2026:https://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2026/2026-04-08/html/sor-dors64-eng.htmlRentals.ca March 2026 Rent Report - Toronto one-bedroom asking rent $2,206:https://rentals.ca/blog/rentals-ca-march-2026-rent-reportStatistics Canada - Experiences of self-employed workers in Canada, 2023:https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240603/dq240603b-eng.htmCanada Employment Insurance Commission - 2026 premium rate and $17.2B Operating Account deficit:https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/ei/ei-list/reports/premium/rates2026.htmlESDC - EI modernization consultations, Phase 2 What We Heard report (2022):https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2022/09/government-of-canada-releases-report-on-phase-2-of-the-employment-insurance-modernization-consultations.htmlIRPP - Canada's EI Is Once Again Failing Its Stress Test (benefit exhaustion as the coverage driver):https://irpp.org/research-studies/ei-failing-stress/C.D. Howe Institute - Should gig workers be covered by the EI regime? (the case against):https://cdhowe.org/publication/providing-gig-workers-ei-no-easy-answer/Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina MaddeauxProduced by Meredith MartinEdited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil

As life milestones like finishing school, buying a house, and getting married get pushed further into our 30s, biology remains the one deadline that refuses to bend. In this episode of DemograFix, hosts Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern take a deep dive into the business, economics, and realities of egg freezing, sparked by U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) publicly sharing her own fertility journey.Mike and Cara discuss how skyrocketing housing prices, student debt, and extended education force modern life choices to clash directly with biological clocks. They break down what real-world data shows about live birth success rates, explain why calling the procedure an insurance policy is deeply misleading, and unpack the steep financial burden and physical toll involved. While egg freezing gives many people options and extra time, this episode asks the bigger question of whether medical technology can truly fix the broader structural economic problems delaying family life today. Chapters:00:00 - Intro: Delayed Milestones and Biological Realities00:42 - AOC’s Journey & Public Misconceptions Around Egg Freezing01:52 - Why Economic Factors Are Pushing Fertility Later03:58 - Corporate Benefits: Workplace Culture vs. True Solutions05:12 - The Emotional and Physical Reality of the Process07:12 - High-Pressure Marketing and "Insurance Policy" Claims09:50 - What the Data Actually Says About Success Rates12:11 - Ideal Ages vs. Realities of When People Freeze Eggs13:28 - Financial Costs and Lack of Public Coverage15:12 - Common Myths About Aging Eggs and Fertility16:15 - The Need for Clinic Transparency and Industry Regulation17:20 - Conclusion: Fix Structural Causes, Not Just Biological Clocks Research/links:CARTR Plus Annual Report 2025https://cfas.ca/_Library/CARTR/2025_CARTR_annual_report_CFAS_2024_Data_.pdfFertility Inc - Investigative Journalism Bureauhttps://ijb.utoronto.ca/projects/fertility-inc/Elective Egg Freezing for Age-Related Fertility Declinehttps://www.cmaj.ca/content/192/6/E142Mount Sinai Fertility - What to know about egg freezinghttps://mountsinaifertility.com/2025/03/28/what-to-know-about-egg-freezing/With Big Choices Ahead, Ocasio-Cortez Navigates New Territoryhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/12/us/politics/with-big-choices-ahead-ocasio-cortez-navigates-new-territory.htmlOcasio-Cortez’s decision riles some on right, while also winning admirationhttps://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6030686-aoc-egg-freezing-controversy/AOC's egg-freezing posts on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aocAnd her TikTokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@aocHosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina MaddeauxProduced by Meredith MartinEdited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil

In this episode of Classonomics, host Mike Moffatt sits down with financial advice guru David Chilton, author of the Canadian classic The Wealthy Barber and former co-host of Dragon's Den. Decades after his original bestseller offered foundational advice to young Canadians, Chilton reflects on how drastically the economic landscape has shifted, and why writing his updated edition proved far more challenging.The conversation dives deep into the realities facing young adults today, from ubiquitous credit and skyrocketing housing costs to the inflation rates hit hardest by major life stages. Chilton and Moffatt dissect the underlying factors behind housing unaffordability, such as stubborn land costs and municipal development fees, while addressing the growing "brain drain" of talent moving away from expensive urban centers. They also evaluate whether renting and investing the difference in broad-market, low-cost ETFs can outperform traditional homeownership, the dangers of online sports gambling among young men, and how older generations truly feel about housing value trade-offs.Finally, Chilton shares actionable, practical guidance tailored for three groups: policy recommendations for economic productivity, non-financial advice on staying optimistic for recent graduates, and smart pre-retirement steps for mid-career professionals.Chapters:Pop up video around 8:55 - mcmansions ep https://youtu.be/doxJHEqiuV0?si=kIU6rVuB_fsCGNaZResearch links:The Wealthy Barber 2025 Indigo Exclusive: The Fully Updated All-Time Canadian Classichttps://www.indigo.ca/products/the-wealthy-barber-2025-indigo-exclusiveThe Wealthy Barberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wealthy_Barberhttps://thewealthybarber.com/Steve Saretsky: Canadian Real Estate—CRAZY Times Have Led to CRAZY Times | TWB Podcast #26https://youtu.be/C_KaFwUPvkMWhy Developers Only Seem to Build McMansionshttps://youtu.be/doxJHEqiuV0?si=nqMJgAb9jNlT4e4YHosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina MaddeauxProduced by Meredith MartinEdited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil

How did bike lanes become the ultimate political wedge issue?In this episode of DemograFix, Cara Stern sits down with Tom Babin, urban cycling advocate and creator of the YouTube channel Shifter, to break down the growing "bike-lash" across Canada and the U.S. From provincial overrides in Ontario and Alberta to the culture wars dividing suburban drivers and downtown commuters, we explore why bike infrastructure generates such intense debate.We dive into the math behind induced demand, the reality of winter cycling, why "road diets" actually work, and how cities can design better, safer streets for everyone.Chapters:00:00:00 The Bike Lane Culture War00:03:10 Bike Lanes & Politics: Evidence vs. Fact00:05:03 How Amalgamation Ruined Everything00:06:29 Do Anti-Bike Policies Actually Win Votes?00:08:11 Why Biking Belongs on Both Sides of Politics00:09:22 Debunking the "Empty Bike Lane" Myth00:11:03 Why Pro-Bike Campaigns Are Failing in Suburbs00:12:48 Ravine Trails vs. Real Urban Mobility00:14:27 Do Winter Bike Lanes Actually Work?00:15:54 The "One More Lane" Traffic Fallacy00:17:47 Why Canadian Cities Build Bad Infrastructure00:19:50 The "Road Diet" FixResearch/links:Ontario just made a ruling that could inform bike lane removal cases across CanadaRemoving bike lanes will cost at least $48M: city staff reportGovernment of Alberta: Report concerns about bike lanesEdmonton council approves $100M for bike infrastructure across cityWashington State’s new bicycle “Safety Stop” law allows people biking to treat stops signs as yield signs with some exceptions.Guest Tom Babin's official urban cycling and commuting YouTube channelHosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina MaddeauxProduced by Meredith MartinEdited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil

This week, Prime Minister Mark Carney will address the European Parliament in an effort to "create greater certainty, security, and prosperity for our peoples." Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports that Canada is seeking to become an "Associate Member" of the European Union. In our Answer Period livestream, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt will be talking about the benefits and drawbacks of a closer association with the European Union, what an associate membership could look like, and take viewer questions.Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina MaddeauxProduced by Meredith MartinEdited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil

Why is Canadian housing so expensive and why are we getting so little for our money? In this episode of the Missing Middle Podcast, Mike Moffatt talks with Adam Mongrain of More and Better Housing about how Canada can build more affordable, better-quality homes while also tackling climate change and housing affordability.They dig into why Canada struggles to build the “missing middle” housing that exists in cities around the world, and how zoning rules, building codes, construction costs and a lack of standardization are making it harder and more expensive to build the homes Canadians actually want. Adam explains why legalizing density isn’t about deregulation, how European-style housing could help lower costs, why Canadian elevators can cost four times as much as comparable ones in Switzerland, and how modern construction methods could transform the housing market.They also discuss climate-resilient housing, the need for millions more social and not-for-profit homes, and the five “game changers” that More and Better Housing believes could help Canada build more and build better.Chapters:00:00 — Why Is Missing Middle Housing Missing?02:27 — What Does “More and Better Housing” Mean?04:51 — Can Better Housing Also Be More Affordable?07:43 — Why New Housing Isn’t Worth the Price11:23 — What Does “Legalizing Density” Actually Mean?15:37 — How Building Codes Drive Up Housing Costs19:14 — Why Factory-Built Housing Needs New Standards21:57 — Building Housing for a Changing Climate23:27 — Can Canada Afford Millions of Nonprofit Homes?Research/links:More and Better Housing Canada website: https://www.moreandbetterhousing.ca/ This is how we could fix a problem Canada has been overlooking for decadeshttps://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/this-is-how-we-could-fix-a-problem-canada-has-been-overlooking-for-decades/article_6970b764-8d33-4d7d-87d6-be8efea8038c.html Blueprint for More and Better Housing: https://housingandclimate.ca/blueprint/Four Pathways to Housing Affordability report: https://housingandclimate.ca/2024/11/19/fourpathways/CreditsMike Moffatt https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatthttps://bsky.app/profile/mikepmoffatt.bsky.socialSabrina Maddeaux https://x.com/SabrinaMaddeauxMeredith Martin  https://twitter.com/meredithmartinhttps://bsky.app/profile/meredithmartin.bsky.socialSean Foreman @seanegertonforemanhttps://bsky.app/profile/seanforeman.bsky.socialCara Stern https://x.com/carasternhttps://bsky.app/profile/carastern.bsky.socialUniversity Of Ottawa Co-op Student:Kelly HobanFunded 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 MaddeauxProduced by Meredith MartinEdited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil

Are Canadian elections actually fair if 7 million citizens are completely excluded from the process?In this episode of The Missing Middle, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt unpack the hidden flaw in Canada’s electoral system: the complete disenfranchisement of children and young people. As Canada’s population ages, politicians are incentivized to cater to older voters while ignoring the long-term economic interests of younger generations.We explore a radical yet historical solution: proxy voting. What if parents could cast ballots on behalf of their children? Could giving every citizen a voice from birth fix our policy incentives? And is it an impossible reform? Chapters:00:00 - Should Children Have a Vote in Canada?03:34 - How Demographic Voting Shapes Economic Policy05:48 - The Issue With Relying on Youth Voter Turnout to Solve Things08:13 - What Is Proxy Voting for Parents?10:22 - Would Proxy Voting Lead to Family-Friendly Policy?12:17 - Can We Trust Parents to Vote in Their Child's Interest?14:49 - Early Civic Engagement and Primary Caregiver Voting Rules17:52 - Is Electoral Reform Truly Realistic in Canada?22:52 - Why Power Disincentivizes Democratic Change Research/Links:Vlandas study: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/980470 Tobi Lutke’s idea that pensioners be excluded from voting is offensive. The concern behind it isn’thttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/article-tobi-lutke-shopify-tech-pensioners-vote/How to give children the votehttps://milescorak.com/2012/04/20/how-to-give-children-the-vote/?utm_source=chatgpt.comCitizenship as a privilege or as a right: should children be given the vote?https://milescorak.com/2013/03/28/citizenship-as-a-privilege-or-as-a-right-should-children-be-given-the-vote/?utm_source=chatgpt.comShould Children be Given the Vote?: Miles Corak at TEDxWaterloo 2013https://youtu.be/anYFFlOtZKo?si=PYrUE7U_0RFuK2-yShould children vote? I argue that there are reasonable ways to give children the vote in an interview with CBC radiohttps://milescorak.com/2014/12/14/should-children-vote-i-argue-that-there-are-reasonable-ways-to-give-children-the-vote-in-an-interview-with-cbc-radio/?utm_source=chatgpt.comWhy we should give children the vote⁠https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/economy-lab/why-we-should-give-children-the-vote/article4101391/Do Husbands and Wives Pool Their Resources? Evidence from the United Kingdom Child Benefithttps://www.jstor.org/stable/146179?origin=crossref&seq=1Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina MaddeauxProduced by Meredith MartinEdited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil

Ontario has pledged to build 1.5 million new homes by 2031, but can our power grid actually handle the demand? In this episode of Classonomics, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down the $100B–$120B "last mile" infrastructure crisis quietly halting major housing projects across the province, including thousands of stalled homes in Brooklin, Whitby, and Ajax.From the historical legacy of Sir Adam Beck’s publicly owned hydro model to modern electrification demands like EVs and heat pumps, we discuss why developers are being pushed to fund local grid expansions and what policy fixes, such as tax-exempt utility bonds and reforming the tax code’s 90/10 rule, can keep Ontario’s housing goals alive.Topics Covered:Can Ontario’s Grid Handle 1.5 Million New Homes?Mega Transmission Lines vs. The Real Grid BottleneckWhat is the "Last Mile" in Power Distribution?Case Study: Why 10,000 Homes Stalled in Brooklin, ONSkyrocketing Household Load: Heat Pumps & EV ChargersHistory Lesson: Sir Adam Beck & Ontario’s Original Power Vision"Build Ahead" vs. "Pay to Play": The Shift in Infrastructure FinancingThe Role of Local Distribution Companies (LDCs)Two Policy Fixes: Tax-Exempt Utility Bonds & Reforming the 90/10 Rule#OntarioHousing #CanadianPolitics #HousingCrisis #EnergyGrid #Infrastructure #TheMissingMiddle #SabrinaMaddeaux #MikeMoffattChapters:00:00 Can Ontario's Grid Power 1.5 Million Homes?01:43 The "Last Mile" Bottleneck & Stalled Developments04:00 EV Demand & Ontario's Electrification History05:29 Public Utilities vs. "Pay for Growth"07:14 Local Distribution Companies & Funding Friction10:11 Two Policy Solutions to Fix Grid Financing12:07 Final Thoughts & OutroResearch/links:North America’s electricity grid is ready to grow. Manufacturers needed to build it are placing their betshttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-north-americas-electricity-grid-is-ready-to-grow-manufacturers-needed/Electrical Load map:https://oeb.planview.ca/Ontario-capacity-map/Debt/Deficit MissingMiddle Episode referred to in video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2zza3GwZ7EWhy a multibillion-dollar electricity infrastructure gap is threatening Ontario’s housing goalshttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-ontario-cant-build-homes-without-rebuilding-power-grid/Tracking housing supply progresshttps://www.ontario.ca/page/tracking-housing-supply-progress#section-0Ontario Launches Expert Panel to Strengthen Local Electricity Distributionhttps://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1006663/ontario-launches-expert-panel-to-strengthen-local-electricity-distribution?utm_source=chatgpt.com2025 Ontario Economic - Outlook and Fiscal Reviewhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1oTK_RueWPjD1Oc1YXVlT8nslnx9Ue_w6/viewForward Guidance: Canada’s Energy Future.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bySyMcg-p_4Adam Beckhttps://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sir-adam-beckBuild Faster Fundhttps://opencouncil.ca/program/building-faster-fund/An early history of hydroelectric power in Niagara Fallshttps://nflibrary.ca/articles/an-early-history-of-hydroelectric-power-in-niagara-fallsOntario’s electric historyhttps://thevarsity.ca/2026/02/03/ontarios-electric-history/To Build More Homes, Ontario Launching Building Faster Fund and Expanding Strong Mayor Powershttps://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1003397/to-build-more-homes-ontario-launching-building-faster-fund-and-expanding-strong-mayor-powersHosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina MaddeauxProduced by Meredith MartinEdited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil