Toronto’s housing crisis is no longer just about buying a home, it’s reshaping who can afford to build a future in the city at all. In this special live taping of The Missing Middle Podcast, Sabrina Maddeaux, Mike Moffatt, Cara Stern, and special guest Ron Butler unpack why young families are leaving Toronto, how policy failures created a city of “dog crate” condos and unaffordable homes, and what needs to change before affordability gets even worse.

Topics covered include:
• Why young families are leaving Toronto and the GTA
• The rise of tiny “dog crate” condos
• Why missing middle housing is so difficult to build
• Zoning delays, development charges, and housing red tape
• The future of rentals, condos, and home prices
• The Greenbelt debate and urban sprawl
• Whether Toronto can still work for middle-class families
• Why more young Canadians are leaving Ontario and Canada
• Non-market housing, affordability, and the politics shaping the city’s future

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Chapters:

0:00 – Live From Toronto: The Housing Crisis Debate Begins
1:42 – Why Young Families Are Leaving Toronto
5:08 – The Reality of Buying a Home in the GTA
8:11 – Why Toronto Only Builds Mansions or Tiny Condos
11:24 – Are “Dog Crate” Condos Doomed?
14:37 – Missing Middle Housing & Zoning Failures
18:02 – The Greenbelt, Sprawl, and Housing Politics
21:10 – Renting for Life in Toronto
24:02 – Should Young Buyers Wait to Purchase?
26:12 – Non-Market Housing vs Market Housing
29:04 – Predictions for Toronto’s Housing Future

Research:

‘It’s not like we’re sitting on our hands.’ Toronto’s biggest landlord sees 7 more complexes fall into critical disrepair

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/it-s-not-like-we-re-sitting-on-our-hands-torontos-biggest-landlord-sees-7/article_dc443926-e4b8-11ef-ab56-6f7d86f12c53.html

Drug deals in doorways and a stranger in the living room: Why Toronto Community Housing residents say its $38M security force is failing them

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/drug-deals-in-doorways-and-a-stranger-in-the-living-room-why-toronto-community-housing/article_2b7633ac-d86b-4fde-9e4e-5e308f4dff5a.html

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

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