The Missing Middle Podcast Podcast Por Cara Stern Mike Moffatt and Meredith Martin arte de portada

The Missing Middle Podcast

The Missing Middle Podcast

De: Cara Stern Mike Moffatt and Meredith Martin
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Welcome to the Missing Middle, a podcast about why the middle class in Canada is disappearing. We hope to help you understand why life is becoming unaffordable for so many in this country, and what can be done to reverse course.

© 2026 The Missing Middle Podcast
Ciencia Política Política y Gobierno
Episodios
  • Why Risky Bets Are Rational in a Housing Crisis
    Feb 11 2026

    Your 20s: risky bets, crypto hype, and meme stocks. 🎲 Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt explain why being priced out of a home is turning saving into gambling — and why young men are taking the biggest swings.

    In this episode of The Missing Middle – Classonomics, we unpack why a generation priced out of housing is turning to meme stocks, crypto, and online sports betting instead of traditional saving. Mike and Sabrina explore how the “gamification” of investing on your phone blurs the line between investing and gambling, why young men dominate high-risk trading, and what research tells us about the link between gambling, crypto, and financial stress.

    The conversation introduces the idea of “financial nihilism” — when homeownership feels impossible, big bets can start to seem rational. They also debate solutions, from tighter gambling advertising rules to better financial education and, most importantly, fixing housing affordability. Is this risky behavior a cultural problem, a policy failure, or both? Watch to find out — and tell us in the comments if you’ve ever placed a big bet with your money.


    Chapters:

    00:00 Introduction

    01:10 The high-risk landscape

    02:15 Personal experience with risk

    03:00 Demographics of gamblers and investors

    04:35 Gambling vs investing

    05:30 The Risks of sports gambling & prediction markets

    06:52 The difference between zero-sum and negative-sum behaviour

    08:53 The link between gambling & crypto trading

    11:01 How the culture of gambling is hurting young men

    12:22 How the housing crisis leads to financial nihilism

    14:22 How big risks start to become rational choices

    15:38 The role of social media

    16:24 YOLO spending and the gendered aspect of risky bets

    17:50 Mike drops a hockey metaphor

    19:23 Solutions: Regulation, education and home ownership


    Research:


    Canada Is Finally Regulating Stablecoins – Here’s Why It Matters

    Cryptocurrency trading, gambling and problem gambling

    "Giving Up": The Impact of Decreasing Housing Affordability on Consumption, Work Effort, and Investment

    Newsletter Sabrina mentions:

    1 big thing: Gen Z plays the economy like a casino

    Are We Ignoring a Generation of Struggling Young Men?

    All Bets Are On: The Rise of Prediction Markets

    The Doom Spenders

    polymarket.com Website Traffic Demographics

    Gambling Statistics Canada 2026 – Unveiling Canada’s Gambling Landscape



    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.

    Más Menos
    23 m
  • AI is Killing Entry-Level Jobs: The 13% Drop Nobody is Talking About
    Feb 6 2026

    Yesterday, Bank of Canada governor Tiff Mackem warned that early evidence shows AI is reducing the number of entry-level jobs available.

    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 dive deep into the data behind AI's impact on demographics and the workforce.

    While Mike leans into historical optimism, Cara brings the receipts: a recent Stanford study showing a 13% drop in employment for young workers in AI-exposed fields since the release of ChatGPT. We explore which jobs are "AI-proof," why Gen X seems to be winning (again), and what policy changes could help young people get a foot in the door.


    Chapters:

    00:00 Introduction

    00:29 Why Mike is unconcerned about AI taking his job

    01:30 Why Cara is worried about AI

    02:21 Young works AI exposed jobs see 13% drop

    03:52 Examining AI exposed occupations

    04:30 How AI impacts different cohorts of workers

    06:12 Understanding the impact of AI on wages

    06:54 Being well rounded is the best protection

    08:16 Trades, healthcare and education will continue to be in demand

    09:20 Mike shares a story from the olden times

    10:00 Mike’s take on going into the trades

    11:20 Mike on wages

    12:18 Focus on developing skills

    13:17 The role of policymakers and solutions



    Research/links:

    Canaries in the Coal Mine? Six Facts about the Recent Employment Effects of Artificial Intelligence

    Youth in Canada will need help gaining experience in the AI era

    No to being young again; The struggles of Canadian youth employment - CIBC Capital Markets

    Canada must pioneer AI adoption that creates job opportunities: Ryan Khurana in Canadian Affairs | Macdonald-Laurier Institute

    Canaries in the Coal Mine? Six Facts about the Recent Employment Effects of Artificial Intelligence

    Youth in Canada will need help gaining experience in the AI era

    No to being young again; The struggles of Canadian youth employment - CIBC Capital Markets

    Canada must pioneer AI adoption that creates job opportunities: Ryan Khurana in Canadian Affairs | Macdonald-Laurier Institute



    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.

    Más Menos
    20 m
  • Why Condos Are Trapping a Whole Generation
    Feb 4 2026

    Canada’s housing ladder is broken. In this episode of Missing Middle, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt explain why the starter home no longer works and how an entire generation has been locked out of moving up.

    They compare buying a detached home in 2004 for $168,000 with today’s reality, where condos fail as a first step and buyers are trapped with no clear path forward. The conversation explores how this breakdown affects family formation, careers, ambition, and Canada’s economic future.=

    If homeownership feels impossible, this episode explains why and why it matters.

    Do you still believe the starter home works, or has the housing ladder completely collapsed where you live?


    Chapters:

    00:00 — What “Buying Your First Home” Used to Look Like

    00:40 — Mike’s First House: A Brand-New Detached Home… as a “Starter”

    01:47 — Why That Dream Is Gone for Today’s Buyers

    02:29 — What “Starter Home” Means Now vs. Then

    05:23 — “Aging Out” of the Starter Home

    07:03 — Trapped in a Condo

    09:58 — The “Second-Time Buyer Problem” Explained

    11:09 — Housing, Birth Rates, and Canada’s Demographic Crisis

    13:37 — Careers Limited by Real Estate, Not Talent

    18:45 — Why Politicians Are Getting This Wrong

    Research links:

    Teranet Market Insights Q1 2025

    National Bank Housing Affordability Monitor

    CMHC Housing Market Outlook 2025

    CMHC Housing Supply Report 2025

    Royal LePage House Price Survey and Market Forecast

    Statistics Canada - Homeownership and Mortgage Debt of Tax Filers

    CIBC Economics - Housing Affordability Reports



    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.

    Más Menos
    25 m
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