Dr. Mike P. Moffatt
@mikepmoffatt.bsky.social
Co-Host, "Missing Middle". Husband. Father. Brother. Son. Economist. Housing guy. I used to do other stuff.
New Year, New Piece! Today we look at what the Missing Middle accomplished... and failed to accomplish, in 2025.
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
January 5, 2026 at 2:30 PM
New Year, New Piece! Today we look at what the Missing Middle accomplished... and failed to accomplish, in 2025.
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
This is exactly what I mean. Every single day Canada picks and chooses when international law applies and when we can safely ignore it. Pretending otherwise is willful ignorance.
This is a dangerous and irresponsible response.
Cheering the illegal abduction of a foreign head of state and celebrating U.S. control over another country is wrong.
Canada cannot pick & choose when international law applies. If the rules only matter when it’s convenient, they don’t protect anyone
Cheering the illegal abduction of a foreign head of state and celebrating U.S. control over another country is wrong.
Canada cannot pick & choose when international law applies. If the rules only matter when it’s convenient, they don’t protect anyone
January 3, 2026 at 11:45 PM
This is exactly what I mean. Every single day Canada picks and chooses when international law applies and when we can safely ignore it. Pretending otherwise is willful ignorance.
Since Canada has a new-found appreciation of international law, now would be a *really* good time for our governments to live up to their obligations, under international law, to ensure their housing policies are compliant with the human right to housing.
January 3, 2026 at 11:29 PM
Since Canada has a new-found appreciation of international law, now would be a *really* good time for our governments to live up to their obligations, under international law, to ensure their housing policies are compliant with the human right to housing.
Our first piece of 2026. We look at 10 major policy wins that MMI and its predecessors have achieved, including (but not limited to) housing reforms. It's fun to look back, but there's so much more left to accomplish.
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
January 1, 2026 at 9:47 PM
Our first piece of 2026. We look at 10 major policy wins that MMI and its predecessors have achieved, including (but not limited to) housing reforms. It's fun to look back, but there's so much more left to accomplish.
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
New piece by Alex, on how federal housing reforms keep failing because zoning outcomes are not measured, allowing responsibility to drift upward even though municipalities control the decisions that block housing.
Read here:
Read here:
When Zoning Reform Fails
Measurement, Municipal Accountability, and the Limits of Federal Action
www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca
December 31, 2025 at 4:05 PM
New piece by Alex, on how federal housing reforms keep failing because zoning outcomes are not measured, allowing responsibility to drift upward even though municipalities control the decisions that block housing.
Read here:
Read here:
New piece! There's been a surprising level of interest among our readers in "the business of think-tanks." Since you asked for it, here's a lengthy piece on how we think about and measure our performance and whether we're making a difference.
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
December 30, 2025 at 7:10 PM
New piece! There's been a surprising level of interest among our readers in "the business of think-tanks." Since you asked for it, here's a lengthy piece on how we think about and measure our performance and whether we're making a difference.
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
One thing I'll never not find funny is how so many "trust the science" folks will quickly dismiss out of hand, without reading it, any study that finds that high housing costs reduce the birth rate.
December 30, 2025 at 1:01 AM
One thing I'll never not find funny is how so many "trust the science" folks will quickly dismiss out of hand, without reading it, any study that finds that high housing costs reduce the birth rate.
New piece at the Toronto Star, looking at the link between housing affordability and falling birthrates. In short, families are having fewer children than they'd like because they can't afford family-friendly homes.
Read here:
Read here:
This one factor is a key reason people are having fewer children. It’s also a problem governments can help fix
People who want a family want and need family-sized housing.
www.thestar.com
December 29, 2025 at 7:00 PM
New piece at the Toronto Star, looking at the link between housing affordability and falling birthrates. In short, families are having fewer children than they'd like because they can't afford family-friendly homes.
Read here:
Read here:
New piece! Unfortunately, Alex is leaving MMI for an exciting new opportunity. But before he goes, he's got things to say. And here's one of them: You Can’t Fix Zoning If You Can’t Measure It
Read here:
Read here:
You Can’t Fix Zoning If You Can’t Measure It
What Municipalities Should Be Judged on for Housing
www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca
December 29, 2025 at 4:49 PM
New piece! Unfortunately, Alex is leaving MMI for an exciting new opportunity. But before he goes, he's got things to say. And here's one of them: You Can’t Fix Zoning If You Can’t Measure It
Read here:
Read here:
New post! We look back at the posts that resonated with MMI readers, and learned a valuable lesson: Our best posts happen when we're angry, overcaffeinated, and in a last-minute rush.
Read here:
Read here:
Housing, Budgets, and One Angry Starbucks Post: Our Top Articles of 2025
A year of data, debates, and one very caffeinated budget reaction
www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca
December 26, 2025 at 2:57 PM
New post! We look back at the posts that resonated with MMI readers, and learned a valuable lesson: Our best posts happen when we're angry, overcaffeinated, and in a last-minute rush.
Read here:
Read here:
We're taking a much-needed break, so no new Missing Middle podcast episode this week. Instead, we're looking back at our 25 most popular episodes to see what resonated with viewers and listeners.
Read here:
Read here:
The Episodes That Defined the Missing Middle Podcast (So Far)
From Not Just Bikes to the housing crash, the episodes that resonated most with viewers
www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca
December 24, 2025 at 2:26 PM
We're taking a much-needed break, so no new Missing Middle podcast episode this week. Instead, we're looking back at our 25 most popular episodes to see what resonated with viewers and listeners.
Read here:
Read here:
We're trying something new! The Missing Middle Initiative has started a community on Reddit. If you're a Redditor, join us at r/missingmiddlers
www.reddit.com/r/mis...
www.reddit.com/r/mis...
December 22, 2025 at 7:46 PM
We're trying something new! The Missing Middle Initiative has started a community on Reddit. If you're a Redditor, join us at r/missingmiddlers
www.reddit.com/r/mis...
www.reddit.com/r/mis...
New piece! We put together our list for Santa and came up with 10 housing policy reforms we'd like to see in 2026.
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
December 22, 2025 at 1:50 PM
New piece! We put together our list for Santa and came up with 10 housing policy reforms we'd like to see in 2026.
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
I'm still stunned at the number of progressives who are upset at the federal government scaling back on non-permanent residency programs. Here's the 2024 UN report on contemporary slavery that calls out issues with TFW and international student programs.
docs.un.org/en/A/HRC...
docs.un.org/en/A/HRC...
December 22, 2025 at 12:02 AM
I'm still stunned at the number of progressives who are upset at the federal government scaling back on non-permanent residency programs. Here's the 2024 UN report on contemporary slavery that calls out issues with TFW and international student programs.
docs.un.org/en/A/HRC...
docs.un.org/en/A/HRC...
Having fun with spam texters.
December 21, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Having fun with spam texters.
For everyone saying Premier Ford's higher ed funding was the cause of student exploitation, here's a piece on the situation in Ontario from *2018*, right after the election.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Canada's post-secondary schools exploiting international students, says recruiter | CBC News
Mel Broitman, owner of the Higher-Edge recruiting company, said there is no policing on Canadian post-secondary institutions when it comes to recruiting international students.
www.cbc.ca
December 19, 2025 at 8:55 PM
For everyone saying Premier Ford's higher ed funding was the cause of student exploitation, here's a piece on the situation in Ontario from *2018*, right after the election.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
I cannot, for the life of me, understand why some folks are upset that the federal government scaled back international student permits when there was so much fraud and abuse in the system.
www.cbc.ca/news/cana...
www.cbc.ca/news/cana...
December 19, 2025 at 6:36 PM
I cannot, for the life of me, understand why some folks are upset that the federal government scaled back international student permits when there was so much fraud and abuse in the system.
www.cbc.ca/news/cana...
www.cbc.ca/news/cana...
New piece! For the second time in three years, Metro Vancouver has raised development charges just after another level of government lowered taxes on new housing, capturing the savings instead of lowering total costs.
Read Metro Van Strikes Again here: www.missingmiddleini...
Read Metro Van Strikes Again here: www.missingmiddleini...
December 19, 2025 at 2:22 PM
New piece! For the second time in three years, Metro Vancouver has raised development charges just after another level of government lowered taxes on new housing, capturing the savings instead of lowering total costs.
Read Metro Van Strikes Again here: www.missingmiddleini...
Read Metro Van Strikes Again here: www.missingmiddleini...
Reposted by Dr. Mike P. Moffatt
Find the full episode on Fixing Canada’s Health Data Rules Without Killing Innovation with @MikePMoffatt & @SabrinaMaddueaux here:
Fixing Canada’s Health Data Rules Without Killing Innovation
Is Canada’s life sciences and health tech sector heading toward a code red? In this episode, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt unpack how outdated and fragmented privacy laws are slowing innovation, and why aligning too closely with European regulations could make things even worse. They explore the
youtu.be
December 17, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Find the full episode on Fixing Canada’s Health Data Rules Without Killing Innovation with @MikePMoffatt & @SabrinaMaddueaux here:
My biggest takeaway from today's Statistics Canada population release.
December 17, 2025 at 6:38 PM
My biggest takeaway from today's Statistics Canada population release.
A fun, wonky episode today. We look at the "Brussels Effect" on how EU regulations can often become global standards, how that's already happening in Canadian health tech, and why it puts innovation at risk.
Watch here: www.youtube.com/watc...
Watch here: www.youtube.com/watc...
December 17, 2025 at 2:25 PM
A fun, wonky episode today. We look at the "Brussels Effect" on how EU regulations can often become global standards, how that's already happening in Canadian health tech, and why it puts innovation at risk.
Watch here: www.youtube.com/watc...
Watch here: www.youtube.com/watc...
New piece! If my doctor predicted my height the same way the Ontario gov't predicts population growth, he'd guess I'm 12 feet tall.
That matters because Ontario's use of those forecasts perpetuates the housing crisis.
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
That matters because Ontario's use of those forecasts perpetuates the housing crisis.
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
December 16, 2025 at 4:21 PM
New piece! If my doctor predicted my height the same way the Ontario gov't predicts population growth, he'd guess I'm 12 feet tall.
That matters because Ontario's use of those forecasts perpetuates the housing crisis.
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
That matters because Ontario's use of those forecasts perpetuates the housing crisis.
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
Male real wage declines have been highest for the 25-34 and 35-44 year old cohorts.
December 14, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Male real wage declines have been highest for the 25-34 and 35-44 year old cohorts.
Spoiler for a piece coming out tomorrow. Ontario didn't forecast the big wave of immigration and non-permanent residents, which is totally understandable. They also didn't forecast a substantial decline in birth rates, which the housing crisis may have caused.
December 14, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Spoiler for a piece coming out tomorrow. Ontario didn't forecast the big wave of immigration and non-permanent residents, which is totally understandable. They also didn't forecast a substantial decline in birth rates, which the housing crisis may have caused.
About an hour ago, our piece "What Happened to the Young Middle-Class Man?" became our most-read ever, with 12,300 views.
It shows how average and median incomes are growing for men over the age of 65, but falling for those between 25-34.
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
It shows how average and median incomes are growing for men over the age of 65, but falling for those between 25-34.
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
December 14, 2025 at 3:08 PM
About an hour ago, our piece "What Happened to the Young Middle-Class Man?" became our most-read ever, with 12,300 views.
It shows how average and median incomes are growing for men over the age of 65, but falling for those between 25-34.
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
It shows how average and median incomes are growing for men over the age of 65, but falling for those between 25-34.
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...