Cara Stern @carastern Twitter profile

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Cara Stern

3 months

This spells out why @meredithmartin and I feel lucky every day that we work with @MikePMoffatt . The more politicians listen to his expert advice, the faster we'll get out of the housing crisis. You can listen to him every week at

Can this man solve Canada's housing crisis?

financialpost.com

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

“Maybe it goes back to my roots on (Toronto) city council. I always hated upper tier governments dictating here, there or the other thing.” Weird, given the only level dictating to Toronto is…his government.

CP24

@CP24

1 year

'My phone has been ringing off the hook:' Ford says other mayors also want out of regional governments

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

Remember when the TTC stopped service every weekend for like a decade to increase capacity with Automatic Train Control? Years and years of closures, and at the end of it...service cuts.

Toronto Star

@TorontoStar

1 year

More TTC cuts start this weekend, sparking fears of a ridership ‘death spiral’ The TTC’s busiest subway route is among the services that will see wait times increase.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

3 months

Why is this conservative government so opposed to user fees? Wouldn't tolls on highways be the perfect conservative solution to congestion? #onpoli

Toronto Star

@TorontoStar

3 months

#Breaking : Doug Ford government to ban most highway tolls, freeze driver's licence fees

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

This is objectively false. The Annex is not at all one of the most dense neighbourhoods and has been shrinking in population for decades.

David Miller T.O.

@iamdavidmiller

1 year

@TheTradeLawGuy @MargaretAtwood You do know that she lives in one of the most dense neighbourhoods in Toronto, right? If you want to criticize people for speaking up, start with suburban Conservatives - including those named Ford who opposed local development at every turn, in an area not very dense at all.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

6 months

Some personal news, as they say... I was offered the job as producer on @TheAgenda on my 25th birthday. Almost 10 years later, it's time to say goodbye. It's been the honour of a lifetime to work with @spaikin , the best interviewer in Canada as far as I'm concerned.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

People often tell me about how they just started with a small starter home, and the problem is millennials wanting a forever home right away. What they’re forgetting is it only took a few years of work to afford their first home. That is impossible now.

How the dream of the single-family starter home vanished

A simple house with a yard and garage was a postwar ideal that launched generations onto the property ladder. In the span of 20 years, it faded away.

www.thestar.com

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Cara Stern

@carastern

4 months

Huge property tax increases can be tough to swallow, but @MikePMoffatt points out that a 10.5% increase isn't anywhere near the increases that renters often face when they move. #onpoli #topoli #HousingCrisis

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Cara Stern

@carastern

8 months

I'm excited to announce a new project from me, @MikePMoffatt and @meredithmartin : Missing Middle, a podcast series about how and why the middle class in Canada is disappearing. Episodes 1 and 2 are on YouTube, and (almost) anywhere you get your podcasts.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

This is very typical Toronto. Keep all the wealthy people in houses from having any shadows or invasion of privacy from neighbours, and put all the poors together squished together in one block. Toronto really likes having visual cues of stark inequity like this.

Future Model Toronto

@FutureModelTO

1 year

Mega-Block in the Making — Big changes are proposed at Main and Danforth where 7,200+ residential units are in development, with more to come. An updated look at the vertical future of the Danforth Village: @HousingNowTO #Toronto #CityofTO #urbanplanning

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 years

This thread. The argument that mom & pop landlords are needed because they provide rental stock is misleading. We wouldn’t need so many rental units if middle-class families taking up purpose-built rentals could buy, and leave those for people who need stable rental units

John Pasalis

@JohnPasalis

2 years

If a real estate investor wasn’t around to buy a new 3 bed 3 bath townhome in Ottawa for $434K... would this home go unbuilt because we don’t have enough demand from young families looking for homes? According to Canada’s policy makers, Yes! We need these investors 🧵⤵️

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Cara Stern

@carastern

6 months

. @MikePMoffatt found himself in a bit of a Twitter storm a couple days ago when he suggested we need to cut down on the number of non-permanent residents in Canada. So I asked him directly: Are you anti-immigrant? Here's what he said. Full episode here:

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

It’s weird to see a mayoral candidate talk about needing to focus intensely on safety, and then use bike lanes as an example of what we shouldn’t focus on. Literally that is the point of them. Fully about safety. What does Mark Saunders think is the purpose of bike lanes?

Eric Lombardi

@EricDLombardi

1 year

In 2021, 58 people died biking, and 183 were seriously injured. Compared to 117 homicides. How is making sure people are safe - regardless of their transportation choice - not the goal of community safety?

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Cara Stern

@carastern

3 months

If only we had high speed rail... We talked to the great @RM_Transit about why our transit options in Canada are so lousy and expensive, but why he still has hope for the future. That's new on the Missing Middle podcast today.

Reece Martin: Canadians Pay Way Too Much to Build Transit

Smart Prosperity Institute economist Mike Moffatt and journalist Cara Stern talk to transit expert Reece Martin about the challenges and issues surrounding t...

www.youtube.com

Dr. Mike P. Moffatt 🇨🇦🏅🏅

@MikePMoffatt

3 months

Paid $1,139.32 to fly economy round-trip from Ottawa to #ldnont (outrageous price because... Canada). On the tarmac at Pearson to find that the yyz-yxu flight has been canceled by AC. No other communication. So, yeah... traveling in Ontario. Fun.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

4 months

I thought I understood the int'l students issue. Then @MikePMoffatt made me realize it's so much murkier than I knew, and truly exploitative for the sake of profit. @AlexUsherHESA knows it better than anyone, and untangled it all for us.

How Colleges Broke Canadian Immigration

The Canadian federal government announced a 2-year cap on international student permits making for some big headlines last week. This will severely limit the...

www.youtube.com

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Cara Stern

@carastern

5 months

Some personal news! I'm joining @SP_Inst & @TNS_Canada full time to work on & projects on housing & sustainability. Excited to expand journalism to this think tank & to find out what it's like to think in a tank. (That's what we do, @MikePMoffatt , right?)

Missing Middle Podcast

www.youtube.com

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

Fun fact: When you buy a house in Toronto, you're not only buying the plot of land, but according to Holyday, you're also buying rights to the land next door! What a deal!

Ben Spurr

@BenSpurr

1 year

Holyday raises the scenario of residents waking up one morning to discover a four-storey building is under construction next to their bungalow.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

Why the crowd who claims they would support projects as long as they include below-market units aren't always being honest. 30% of units below-market near a transit station is amazing. Why should there be minimum parking guidelines stopping these homes from being built quickly?

Dean Tester

@DeanTester

1 year

🚨 THREAD: Ottawa's planning committee just voted to delay a 30% affordable, missing middle development near a major transit station. Because they wanted 20 more parking spaces. A quick look inside the soul crushing world of NIMBY city politics:

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Cara Stern

@carastern

29 days

If the reason to keep these homes illegal is because Ford thinks no one would want them anyway, why not legalize them and let people decide? Why gatekeep it? And why not go bigger and bolder, if fourplexes aren't dense enough to solve it?

Colin D'Mello | Global News

@ColinDMello

29 days

NEW: The Ford government is questioning whether fourplex policies are actually effective in tackling the housing crisis. The housing minister points to Toronto's 4-units stats as evidence of low uptake. #onpoli

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

“Many of the houses in my neighbourhood are affordable… In recent years, these properties have been scooped up by speculators, demolished and replaced by large luxury houses.” How exactly will developers building multiple units make it less affordable?

Toronto’s plan to intensify housing won’t work on all streets

Affordable homes are being torn down and replaced with luxury homes and many suburban neighbourhoods lack any amenities, so residents rely on cars.

www.thestar.com

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Cara Stern

@carastern

9 months

I'd love @jm_mcgrath 's take on this. If only he wasn't on strike. If TVO wants to agree to binding arbitration, we could be back tomorrow and have him and @spaikin on air and online to unpack this report.

CP24

@CP24

9 months

#BREAKING : Ontario's housing minister broke ethics rules in Greenbelt development, integrity commissioner finds

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Cara Stern

@carastern

14 days

Relavent to all those complaining about very gentle density in the Annex in the last few days. If you can't stand growth, why do you live in the heart of the largest city, walking distance from both major subway lines? There are other places!

Oh The Urbanity!

@OhUrbanity

14 days

An interesting response we've been getting: “This video is cruel. I can’t leave the city. My job, friends, and family are here!” Yes. That's why we shouldn't block housing in cities and price people out.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 years

If this looks sad to you, advocate for multiplexes throughout all the neighbourhoods around the subway line. We need more homes especially around transit for our growing population, yet currently there are fewer people in this neighbourhood now than 50 years ago. #topoli #onpoli

Urban Cayman

@ProjectEND

2 years

It's absurd that there is a subway going underneath the street at the Centre of this image, & this is all we've been able to muster. Absolutely absurd abdication of responsibility. But, this is Toronto, & all our leaders can think about is "what about the folks in those houses?!"

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 months

Once again, I ask, does @fordnation know what a fourplex is? I suspect the percentage of four-storey fourplexes is very low. Also legalizing something does not mean forcing something. Those are two different things.

Doug Ford

@fordnation

2 months

Bonnie Crombie wants to force four-storey buildings in every neighbourhood. She thinks she knows better than every single mayor. I believe in working WITH mayors to build the right homes in the right places and rewarding them for their success. That’s how you get it done.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 years

This graph is bonkers. I’ve seen it so many times and it never stops shocking me how out of control it’s gotten. A median income 5 or so years ago is better than a top 5% income now if your goal is homeownership.

Toronto Star

@TorontoStar

2 years

Let's take a closer look at home prices vs. income. The high cost of real estate has led to a widening wealth gap — a divide not based on income, but on when and if you were able to buy into the real estate market.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 month

Big move from the feds. You have to imagine this is partly in response to @fordnation ruling out broad upzoning. It'll be interesting to see how Ford responds.

Colin D'Mello | Global News

@ColinDMello

1 month

NEW: Weeks after Premier Doug Ford ruled out 4 units as-of-right across the province, the federal government is launching a $5B housing fund for provinces if they adopt the fourplex policy. Ford now has until Jan 1, 2025 to change tracks to get the funds. #onpoli

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Cara Stern

@carastern

3 months

We've published 22 episodes and made 531 minutes of content and we've only been in the same room twice in the last 6 months. It was great to see my co-host @MikePMoffatt in Toronto yesterday!

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Cara Stern

@carastern

9 months

Ontario used to build things. It's up to all of us to protect those treasures, like TVO. Please support TVO workers who could be walking off the job as early as next week. We don't want to strike. We just want a fair deal, with reasonable wages and job security. #onpoli

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

Good thread here on why it’s a mistake to have all regional trains connect to a single downtown station in Toronto, and why we should at least plan to have a second station one day (and build homes around it accordingly).

Reece 🚇

@RM_Transit

1 year

Toronto is *wisely* investing in a big way in regional rail - but foolishly, we are creating a system with a single point of failure. Union Station. The problems with a network with Union as it's only *downtown* (see picture below) this is despite the ENORMOUS growth of downtown.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

6 months

I'm so grateful for @meredithmartin , who is completely fearless, and has been the best union president imaginable. We put up an incredible fight for good, stable journalism jobs at a time when our industry is shrinking, and gig work is everywhere. As a team, we are unstoppable.

Meredith Martin

@meredithmartin

6 months

Just so we’re all clear, ⁦ @carastern ⁩ (photographed here looking noble) roped me into doing union stuff in 2019 and there is no viable union at TVO without her. I’ve never met a more industrious and tenacious person in my life. 🫶🏼

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

She also calls multiplex units unaffordable if minimum-wage workers can’t afford them, yet claims her neighbourhood has affordable homes to buy. I’m certain she changed the definition of affordable here because there’s no part of Toronto where a minimum-wage worker can buy.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

25 days

Does John Ibbitson think legalizing density means forcing people to live in tiny apartments? What's his problem with people having more options of where to live instead of fewer? How's only allowing tall & sprawl doing for fertility rates right now?

Opinion: Housing plans’ impact on Canada’s fertility rate would strain economy, increase social...

Densification, fourplexes-as-of-right, infill and high-rises near transit hubs all conspire to ensure Canadians have fewer and fewer babies

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Cara Stern

@carastern

25 days

Family-sized apartments work nicely elsewhere. If the government would get out of the way, we could have them here too.

Housing Affordability Task Force Advocate 🔰

@REAPOCALYP

25 days

@carastern Single stair point access blocks, low/mid rise apartment buildings with three bedroom units are family friendly, especially if we allow them in quiet/safe/walkable areas. I’m a single parent and the issue is number of bedrooms and price of rent, not detached SFH vs apartment

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@carastern

1 month

I'm very pleased to see this policy. It's not a huge issue in Canada yet, but it's important to get ahead of it so that we don't see big corporations buying up neighbourhoods like they have elsewhere.

Dr. Mike P. Moffatt 🇨🇦🏅🏅

@MikePMoffatt

1 month

This one is interesting (and I suspect will be quite popular): Canada banning "very large corporate investors" from buying existing single-family homes. I don't think this really happens much at scale in Canada, but boy do I hear people talk about it a lot on Twitter.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 years

Honestly I wouldn’t be so mad about preserving Danforth itself if the surrounding streets could see some density. But it looks like the city is going with none anywhere near this part of Line 2. Remember: Fewer people live in those neighbourhoods now than 50 years ago.

Shawn Micallef 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

@shawnmicallef

2 years

TO's own policy moves fight against each other in so many ways - as I write this week re the very NIMBY-friendly heritage listing of a bunch of 2 storey bldns on the Danforth, while the 'hoods surrounding them are also off limits to increased housing.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 years

If party platforms promising to help first-time homebuyers making $200k doesn’t signal a massive crisis, I don’t know what will. Think about it: this says we have a market where households making 2.5x the median income can’t afford a home without government support. #onpoli

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 months

The consequence of people telling people priced out of the GTA to "just move". It's not a reasonable solution to the housing crisis.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

8 months

TVO management could offer binding arb and we would be back at work tomorrow. They now claim it's in their power. They have the money to give us a cost of living adjustment. What do you say, @JlOrridge ? Will you continue to waste almost $120k a day of taxpayer money to fight us?

Meredith Martin

@meredithmartin

8 months

. @TVO_CMG has voted on and rejected @tvo offer of 3%, 2.75% & 1.75% Over the past 6 weeks almost 3.5 million taxpayer and donor dollars has been spent on full time employees, who have less than full time work, to make sure 74 people don’t get a cost of living increase. #onpoli

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 month

FREE for taxpayers!!!* *Paid for by buyers of new homes

Phil Marfisi

@philmarfisi

1 month

Kitchener's $144 million new rec centre gets at the heart of the ethical issue over development charges. New home buyers, many of whom will be entering the market for the first time, will foot the bill for a project that is geared towards use for the entire region.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 month

I always say that good housing policy is the best environment policy. @alexbozikovic explains that on the Missing Middle podcast today. #cdnpoli #onpoli #ClimateCrisis

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 years

“We are the boomers… The people who could get an education and a home at an affordable price… We are going to have to think about what is best for future generations — and what’s best for them might work against our own privilege and interest.” @EneUnderwood

Jennifer Keesmaat

@jen_keesmaat

2 years

Boomers, fix the housing crisis. Today, we delay housing for future generations + add costs to development (through appeals) by allowing a handful of existing boomer homeowners and their astounding self-interest to monopolize the planning process.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

When you try to do a story on aging and it just turns into a housing story because almost everything is a housing story in some manner.

TVO Today | The Agenda

@TheAgenda

1 year

"We have no multifamily zoning, no lots in our township that are zoned to allow you to have a triplex." — Noelle Reeve (Tay Valley Township) on the challenge of building rural homes for seniors. At 8/11pm with Jane Sinclair ( @simcoecounty ) and @spaikin | Producer: @carastern

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 months

Spoiler alert: They won't. @MikePMoffatt explains in this video why the Bank of Canada needs to make sure the monster that is high inflation is truly dead before lowering rates, so it doesn't come back like a bad '80s movie monster.

Understanding Inflation, Interest Rates, and the Role of the Central...

In this conversation, Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern discuss inflation and the Bank of Canada's approach to managing it. They explore the factors that contribut...

www.youtube.com

Doug Ford

@fordnation

2 months

People are hurting. They need a break. It’s time for the Bank of Canada to start lowering interest rates tomorrow.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 years

I would never rent from a mom-and-pop landlord because there’s no stability. If they want to move in, you’re out. If they want to realize the gains by selling, good chance you’re out. Let’s stop pretending these are great options for people. Purpose-built are what we need.

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@carastern

2 years

So the argument here is a speculation tax would plummet real estate prices…to what? A year or two ago? Weirdly also argues it wouldn’t be effective because investors only make up 25% of market. So is it going to make homes more affordable or do nothing at all? #topoli

Toronto Star

@TorontoStar

2 years

A new home speculation tax would harm, not help the real estate market. Home prices would plummet, as they did with the new levy in ’74. I vividly recall that the housing market crashed overnight. #Opinion by @bobaaron2

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

The best days at ⁦ @tvo ⁩ are days where ⁦ @polkaroo ⁩ shows up (and I don’t miss him again)!

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

What a nonsensical article. Complains about land prices going up when the lot becomes multi-unit, but land isn’t a human right. Housing is a human right. But I’m all for her idea of mixed-use zoning for walkable suburbs. Please take up that cause, NIMBYs. Would love to join you.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

6 months

Today on the Missing Middle, @MikeSchreiner from the @OntarioGreens joins me and @MikePMoffatt to talk about his hopes to solve housing affordability, and to restore hope to people growing up in this province. Produced as always by @meredithmartin

Green Leader Mike Schreiner on Fixing Housing in Ontario

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner joined Mike and Cara to talk about his two private member's bills that aim to increase housing supply, as well as h...

www.youtube.com

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Cara Stern

@carastern

5 months

@TOAdamVaughan @MoreNeighbours @alexbozikovic @HousingNowTO @PierrePoilievre I literally don't think there's a single person you tagged who has ever advocated against governments being part of the solution. You need both the public and private sectors to solve it. Pretending it can only be solved by government is as bad as pretending they have no role.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 months

There are many places where government regulation has led to fewer homes. Requiring a minimum number of parking spots is absolutely one of them. @MikePMoffatt and I discuss that on today's episode of the Missing Middle.

How Parking Minimums Hinder Home Construction

In this discussion, Smart Prosperity Institute https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/ economist Mike Moffatt and journalist Cara Stern discuss why parking min...

www.youtube.com

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@carastern

1 month

. @alexbozikovic was one of the first journalists that I know of to recognize and bring awareness to the impediments to housing supply in Canada. His real passion, though, is architecture, so it was lovely to chat with him about balancing heritage preservation and building homes

Meredith Martin

@meredithmartin

1 month

Is heritage designation an impediment to fixing the housing crisis? @alexbozikovic talks to @carastern & @MikePMoffatt #onpoli #topoli #cdnpoli #HousingCrisis Alex Bozikovic: Heritage Rules and the Housing Crisis via @YouTube

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@carastern

5 months

Nowhere in Canada is making moves on housing affordability like BC is right now. Housing Minister @KahlonRav joined @MikePMoffatt and me on the Missing Middle to talk about the big changes and the big challenges that come with them.

How the BC Housing Minister is Going Big on Housing Supply

British Columbia's Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon joins Mike and Cara to talk about the big plans his government has to make it easier for developers to build ...

www.youtube.com

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@carastern

4 months

Here's why @SabrinaMaddeaux picked the @CPC_HQ as her party of choice, given her hope to be a part of the solution for the housing crisis. #cdnpoli

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Cara Stern

@carastern

9 months

Please send an email to your MPP in support of TVO workers via the link below. It's fast and easy! We cannot keep producing high quality journalism, kids programming, and education with an ever-dwindling budget. We can't do more with less. Tell the government you support TVO.

TVO CMG is at work!

@TVO_CMG

9 months

Polkarunion and friends here with a request: Write to your MPP using this link and tell them to #FundTVOLikeItMatters

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@carastern

1 year

@JohnPasalis Or just leave it as is (or lower it to include all salaries) because it provides transparency of what management is paid vs workers. And transparent salaries even the playing field for everyone, and allow people to negotiate their own wage from a position of knowledge.

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@carastern

8 months

This story is why I've been fighting so hard at the bargaining table for bereavement leave for contract workers. Plus two other contract workers who lost a parent last year and were given no paid days off to grieve. If staff get reasonable time off, contract workers should too

H.G. Watson

@HG_Watson

8 months

This is really interesting to me, because when I was a contract employee for TVO in 2019, I was told I could only have two paid bereavement days off after my brother died. 🤡🤡🤡

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Cara Stern

@carastern

26 days

. @MikePMoffatt truly is the best. The more governments listen to his advice, the more hope I have for the housing crisis being solved.

Alex Usher

@AlexUsherHESA

26 days

I've been wracking my brains the past few days to think of an NGO/think tank that has done as much to move the needle on a political issue the way @SP_Inst (and in particular @MikePMoffatt ) has on housing over the past 12-18 months, and I'm coming up blank. A huge achievement.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

“TVO appears to be positioning to abandon journalism at a critical time for quality and trustworthy information” #onpoli

CMG - La Guilde

@CMGLaGuilde

1 year

Workers at Ontario public broadcaster TVO vote at 100% in favour of a strike mandate #onpoli

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Cara Stern

@carastern

9 months

TVO management says its employees has some of the best compensation, job security, and benefits in the business. I wonder how contract workers like @KatEschner and @vmochama feel knowing their no-benefit contracts can be ended without cause at time.

TVO workers reject latest offer from management, prepare to strike on Friday

The two sides will sit down for a last minute meeting with a government-appointed conciliation officer on Thursday. Should no agreement be reached, the network’s union employees will be in a legal...

www.ipolitics.ca

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@carastern

9 months

"I don't see a future for the organization if this doesn't get sorted." - @meredithmartin The government wants to get rid of benefits, mat leave, and the stability that comes with a permanent job at the public broadcaster. They say they can't sign a deal without that concession.

QP Briefing

@QPBriefing

9 months

Nearly 96 per cent of members of the network's union, a branch of the Canadian Media Guild, voted to reject the latest offer from TVO's management #onpoli #cdnmedia

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

Amazing visuals in this ⁦ @TorontoStar ⁩ article on the history of Toronto’s very inequitable skyline, with clusters of high-rises in seas of protected single family homes.

How Toronto became an uneven city – and the looming fight to change it

For decades, Toronto has protected huge parts of the map for single-family houses. Here’s how it happened.

www.thestar.com

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 years

@stateofthecity @dave_ings @mjrichardson_to @JoshMatlow Honestly 14 storeys seems small here. Just across the street are a ton of 30+ storey buildings with bigger ones coming. For some reason it’s acceptable on the east side of Yonge and Davisville, but not the west side. It makes no sense. Why not add, and increase affordable units?

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 months

We've got a super nerdy econ discussion on the Missing Middle podcast today. The Bank of Canada recently changed its forecasting model, so we asked @twitscotty why it's happening and what it means for interest rates.

How Central Banks Decide If Your Mortgage Goes Up

In this 22-minute discussion, Smart Prosperity Institute economist Mike Moffatt and journalist Cara Stern talk to Scott Cameron, an economist formerly with t...

www.youtube.com

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

A very fun and thought-provoking @munkdebate tonight on the state of the mainstream media. Lots of great points made on both sides, and very fun to see a feisty debate in-person for the first time in years. Worth watching the replay.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

9 months

Toddlers for TVO! #FundTVOLikeItMatters

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

It's weird because I'm constantly told the Annex is already full of multiplexes that just happen to look like single family homes, but for some reason the residents' association is arguing multiplexes will ruin the character of the neighbourhood? The stat below is maddening.

Alex Bozikovic

@alexbozikovic

1 year

Every house block in the Annex has a population 35% to 45% *lower* than in 1971. All the density, all the growth and most of the diversity is in apartment buildings which cover a tiny fraction of the neighbourhood.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 years

Time to (once again) to share @jm_mcgrath ’s brilliantly headlined article: Waiting for baby boomers to die is not effective housing policy.

Waiting for baby boomers to die is not effective housing policy

OPINION: A new report says that a once-reliable way of bringing homes to the resale market isn’t working like it used to. It’s another indication that our housing policies aren’t keeping up with our...

www.tvo.org

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 years

Politicians need to stop asking to only hear from those who already live in the area when consulting on new developments. I hear it all the time, and it’s a big problem. If they only listen to the ones who already have, they are actively making the housing crisis worse. #onpoli

Dean Tester

@DeanTester

2 years

The local councillor, a progressive named Mike Colle, has so far scolded a young person for commenting because they don't live in the ward (the audacity!!) and has urged people opposed to the project to yell at their MPPs to overrule the independent Ontario Land Tribunal.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

6 months

Today on the Missing Middle, @beheshtialex helps @MikePMoffatt and I evaluate the recent housing plans proposed by the @OntarioNDP and @oliviachow , who have wildly different numbers on what it costs to build a home. Produced by @meredithmartin

How Realistic is this Housing Plan Anyway?

The Ontario NDP and Olivia Chow both recently released their housing plans. They're both big budget projects, but with wildly different calculations in how m...

www.youtube.com

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 months

Seems pretty gatekeepery to me...

Colin D'Mello | Global News

@ColinDMello

2 months

NEW: After lots of internal deliberations about fourplexes (four units as-of-right) province wide - Premier Doug Ford shuts down the effort. Ford says that’s “off the table for us” largely because there would be push back from residents. #onpoli

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Cara Stern

@carastern

5 months

Horrible news. This is a brutal industry. Thinking of all the hardworking CBC journalists out there. We need more publicly funded media, not less.

Tom Harrington

@cbctom

5 months

BREAKING: The CBC is cutting 10 percent of its workforce. 200 jobs that are vacant will not be filled. 600 other jobs will be cut. Cuts are coming to staff & to programming in English & French. The Corporation will need to find $125 million in cost savings for 2024/2025.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

8 months

TVO senior management seems to think TVO is their own private company. It is not. We all own it. And it's time they remember that and stop treating it like it belongs to them.

Sandra Gionas

@sandragionas

8 months

TVO is a public asset & belongs to you, the taxpayer. Not @tvo management, not the #FordGovernment . We content creators, educators, journalists & programmers want to get back to making TVO awesome. Please retweet, add your thoughts. The powers that be are watching. @TVO_CMG

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

Increases value of land. Decreases cost of homes. Only one of those things is a human right.

Ben Spurr

@BenSpurr

1 year

Coun. Anthony Perruzza argues that allowing denser housing exponentially increases the cost of housing, because it inflates land prices by allowing more valuable development on it.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

7 months

When you can't even rely on big public projects like subways to reliably get you home, it's hard to feel confident in big progressive programs, says @MikePMoffatt in the latest episode of the Missing Middle. Looking at you, Ottawa LRT! #cdnpoli #onpoli

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

Good question here from @namshine : politicians like to justify sweeping changes due to the mandate gained by winning an election. But how strong is that mandate when turnout is so low, and these changes aren’t discussed during the campaign?

TVO Today | The Agenda

@TheAgenda

1 year

What do politicians’ mandates mean if a whole lot of Ontarians didn’t vote? — by @namshine #onpoli #topoli

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Cara Stern

@carastern

6 months

The best thing about @TheAgenda has always been the team. I've gotten to work with some of the smartest and most fun people around. This picture from election night 2014 is just a small group of them. The hardest part of leaving is that I won't see them every day.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

This building complex has a very strong tenants association. That’s something that every building should have. Tenants banded together to fight above guideline increases, and there was always someone you could go to (within the building!) in order to check your rights.

Ben Spurr

@BenSpurr

1 year

In midtown where mayoral candidate Josh Matlow is making an announcement about tenant policy

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 years

@JessicaBellTO @MoreNeighbours What exactly is the NDP proposing to help build missing middle and curb speculation? Are you endorsing the recommendations from the Housing Affordability Task Force? I know @EneUnderwood thinks the recommendations would help affordable housing as well as market.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

5 months

Trudeau suggested yesterday his government would tie international student visas to housing. So @MikePMoffatt and I hopped into our virtual Missing Middle podcast studio to talk what this could look like, and the challenges of implementing a cap.

Trudeau Talks Capping International Student Visas

Yesterday was the first time Mike or Cara ever heard Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signalling that his government would work to cap the number of internation...

www.youtube.com

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Cara Stern

@carastern

8 months

Now seems like the perfect time to launch, given one of our first episodes was recorded last month with @VassB about competition policy, which is about to see some changes! We'll absolutely be following up with her as the policies unfold.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 month

It's quite something to see the premier say the feds can't make agreements with municipalities in exchange for funding without her permission, especially when both the Liberals and the Conservatives federally talked about using the same strategy to get gatekeepers out of the way.

rick bell

@sunrickbell

1 month

BREAKING. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW. Fireworks! Danielle Smith lays down the law and punches back against Justin Trudeau — again via @calgaryherald #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli #canpolitics #yyc #yyccc #Trudeau #DanielleSmith

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 years

@TheBikingLawyer @TorontoPolice @m_layton Imagine how drivers would react if they had to stop behind cyclists that were stopping at every stop sign on Shaw.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

7 months

Meet Gary. No, seriously, come meet him. He will be on the @TVO_CMG picket line at 2180 Yonge Street tomorrow at 1pm. See you there, Gary! (Don't miss him again!)

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Cara Stern

@carastern

9 months

Hey @TVO @TheAgenda , I know you're a fan of republishing @ConversationCA articles so you can pretend to still have new content while your journalists are on strike. Here's one you should read/republish. #journalism #precariouswork #onpoli

TVO strike highlights the scourge of contract work in public service journalism

Although work in journalism has never been a safe bet, it’s now rife with deepening uncertainty. The TVO strike aimed at job security is a matter of public interest.

theconversation.com

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 years

@GraphicMatt Would love to know how they decided cyclists pay a fraction of the taxes. I guess they’re assuming they’re cycling because they’re poor? Couldn’t be for their health, the environment, or because it’s often the fastest way to move across our city (especially in this area).

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 years

@TOAdamVaughan @MoreNeighbours @JessicaBellTO @EneUnderwood @OntarioPCParty It’s true, and right now we’re subsidizing long-standing now wealthy homeowners at the expense of future ones, which strikes me as a weird priority for our govt. And then there’s how much we’re subsidizing people to live in car-centric suburbs instead of walkable neighbourhoods.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

4 months

When we talk about the middle class, there's a big difference between renters, homeowners who bought recently, and those bought a long time ago and have minimal mortgages. We need different policy solutions to address these three different versions of the middle class.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

6 months

It's so lovely to work with such an amazing team. Grateful for the opportunity to make this podcast with such incredible people: @meredithmartin and @MikePMoffatt .

Dr. Mike P. Moffatt 🇨🇦🏅🏅

@MikePMoffatt

6 months

Finally, I've teamed up with the extraordinarily talented @carastern and @meredithmartin on a podcast called "The Missing Middle", about the decline of the "middle" in our cities, from middle-density housing to the middle-class. Check it out here:

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Cara Stern

@carastern

3 months

Conestoga president was paid $409,900 in 2022, according to the Ontario Sunshine List. He also was president when the college named one of their new campuses after him.

GuelphToday

@GuelphToday

3 months

Conestoga president defends school's record, calls Soo College president a 'whore'

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

Finally!!! Way overdue, but better late than never.

Matt Elliott

@GraphicMatt

1 year

Toronto City Council votes 18-7 to APPROVE multiplexes of up to four units in areas zoned for residential, city-wide.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 months

. @MikePMoffatt and @CheriseBurda are part of a group who put out a report on how Canada can credibly reach 5.8 million homes by 2030 in a climate-friendly way. They go over some of their favourite recommendations today on the Missing Middle podcast.

How to Build 5.8 Million Homes by 2030

In this discussion, Smart Prosperity Institute economist Mike Moffatt and journalist Cara Stern talk to Cherise Burda, Director of City Building Research and...

www.youtube.com

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 months

Does @fordnation know what a fourplex is? These comments suggest he does not. Most that I've seen don't look much different than a single family home from the outside.

Laura Stone

@l_stone

2 months

Ford is making comments about opposition to fourplexes as-of-right, saying he’s not going to override municipal planning to force 8-storey buildings (not sure where the 8 comes from)… “Imagine the disaster with parking on local streets. Queen’s Park doesn’t know best.” #onpoli

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

"It doesn’t make sense for our governments to claim they are good economic managers because GDP grows as a result of dramatic increases to our primary cost of living." @GenSqueeze on why we need to incentivize investing in businesses, not real estate.

Time to lend more to business and less to homeowners. Prosperity demands it

We must prioritize reconnecting housing costs to local earnings to support employment and productivity in other industries

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Cara Stern

@carastern

5 months

I'm sure housing has gone up by roughly that much too, right?

Dr. Mike P. Moffatt 🇨🇦🏅🏅

@MikePMoffatt

5 months

WOW! Canada's population is up 430,000 in just 3 months. Now at 40.5 million.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

9 months

I can't understand why TVO management seems to hate Agenda producers so much that they've changed the rules so that people with 20+ years at the company are now the bottom of the seniority list -- and they refuse to fix it. Why punish the people behind your biggest brand?

Hilary Clark

@hilarygclark

9 months

will @tvo ever explain why they allowed things to get so bad that @TVO_CMG folks went on strike? (first in company history) And, why target @TheAgenda ’s producers to strip them of seniority?? Don’t want this strike, just want to make more great shows like these! #onpoli

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

@iamdavidmiller Those colours make it seem like the Annex is close to as dense as the truly dense neighbourhoods. But if you click, you can see it's ~20% as dense as, say, Yonge and Bloor. Weirdly, some of the densest neighbourhoods, e.g. Queen's Quay W, are missing data, skewing the visual.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

7 months

Good morning! Today on the Missing Middle, @MikePMoffatt and I discuss the recent votes in @citymississauga , @cityofguelph and @CityKitchener on whether to draft bylaws to allow multiplexes, and how these homes could help people in many stages of life.

Ontario Towns and Cities Debate Zoning for Multiplexes

When the Ontario government put together a Housing Affordability Task Force to advise them on housing policy, they got the advice to up-zone the whole provin...

www.youtube.com

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 year

And yes, we need this density, so it’s better than not. Homes are homes. But keeping the surrounding neighbourhoods exclusionary while densifying one block is such a visual sign of our values.

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Cara Stern

@carastern

9 months

I love how TVO keeps using the addition of 20 new permanent roles as proof they'll act reasonably if they aren't forced to convert contracts to permanent. Those jobs were fought for by the union, had hit the 2 year mark, and came after our strike vote.

TVO workers threaten to strike Friday

A dispute over contract work and wages could lead to a first-ever strike at the provincial broadcaster.

www.thestar.com

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Cara Stern

@carastern

2 years

If making home prices plummet after going up 40%+ during a pandemic isn’t helping affordability, what is? I see some politicians argue the goal is slowing growth, but that’s not going to help when most of the middle class is priced out (without family help). #topoli #onpoli

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Cara Stern

@carastern

1 month

@MikePMoffatt I'd be interested in publishing some sort of video podcast version. Maybe on some housing-focused economics podcast? 🤔

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