Opinion Pieces and Media Mentions
The Missing Middle Initiative, housed at the University of Ottawa’s Institute for the Environment, seeks to revive Canada’s urban middle class. Our knowledge mobilization strategy includes written pieces, research reports, the Missing Middle Podcast, and appearances in the mainstream media.
The following is an incomplete list of opinion pieces written by full-time members of our team that have appeared in mainstream media outlets.
Opinion Pieces by MMI Staffers
This is how the government can get single family homes out of the hands of investors, January 2026, Toronto Star (with Matthew Mendelsohn and Jon Shell)
This one factor is a key reason people are having fewer children. It’s also a problem governments can help fix, December 2025, Toronto Star.
Mark Carney’s promise on housing was to build build build. What happened?, November 2025, Toronto Star.
Mike Moffatt: Falling sales, falling jobs: Why Canada must cut taxes on new homes, October 2025, The Hub.
Ontario’s housing crisis is, somehow, about to get even worse. This is how we can fix it, September 2025, Toronto Star.
Mike Moffatt: The Carney government needs to kickstart a housing boom-and fast, August 2025, The Hub.
Mike Moffatt: Our leaders keep talking about the housing crisis. So why on earth are we building way fewer homes?, August 2025, The Hub.
There is a way to increase housing supply. Does Gregor Robertson have the will?, July 2025, Toronto Star.
The housing market has crashed, July 2025, Toronto Star.
Canada can’t solve its housing crisis without the provinces, June 2025, The Globe and Mail (with Lisa Raitt)
Why are the leading parties' housing plans all so unambitious?, April 2025, Toronto Star.
Mike Moffatt: There’s a lot going on, but let’s not forget about the housing crisis, March 2025, The Hub.
Wealthy enough to stay, or too poor to leave: Lack of affordable housing sparks exodus of GTA's future middle class, March 2025, Toronto Star.
Ontario's housing crisis is more like three housing crises in a trench coat, February 2025, Toronto Star.
Mike Moffatt: On housing, Doug Ford deserves a big red F, February 2025, The Hub.
One of Justin Trudeau's most vital ministers quit this week. Canada is going to miss him. (That's right, him), December 2024, Toronto Star.
These Canadian cities are finally doing something to fix the housing crisis. Almost none are in Ontario, December 2024, Toronto Star.
Mike Moffatt: Want to solve the housing crisis? Make it easier to build better neighbourhoods, November 2024, The Hub.
Mike Moffatt: Poilievre’s new housing plan isn’t flawless, October 2024, The Hub.
Mike Moffatt: One simple way the federal government could save Canadian homebuyers nearly $2 billion a year, October 2024, The Hub.
DeepDive: The capital gains tax increase on Canada’s economy was far from trivial, September 2024, The Hub.
Don’t listen to the critics, Canada’s new mortgage rules will make housing more affordable — eventually, September 2024, Toronto Star.
DeepDive: Four key policy priorities for Parliament’s return, September 2024, The Hub.
The federal Liberals were right to limit the TFW program. Now they need to go farther, August 2024, Toronto Star.
Mike Moffatt: My remarks to the federal cabinet on housing, immigration, and the temporary foreign worker program, August 2024, The Hub.
Justin Trudeau’s government radically transformed Canada’s temporary foreign worker program. Young people and low wage workers are paying the price, August 2024, Toronto Star.
We'll stay stuck in this housing crisis until we do these two things, August 2024, Toronto Star.
Young, talented workers aren't just thinking about leaving Toronto. They're already on their way out, and the fallout will be enormous, July 2024, Toronto Star.
Why is our supposedly progressive mayor promoting more commuting downtown?, June 2024, Toronto Star.
We need more than big promises to solve our housing crisis, May 2024, The Hub.
Ottawa has every right to address the national rental-housing problem, April 2024, Globe and Mail.
What Australia can teach Canada about getting homes built, March 2024, The Hub.
The dream of Canadian homeownership is dying. Here’s how to revive it, March 2024, The Hub.
Bold solutions to the housing crisis must be front and centre in budget 2024, February 2024, The Hub.
Opinion: Canada is failing the grade on housing. Fixing that starts with international students, but it shouldn’t end there, February 2024, Globe and Mail.
Opinion: Ottawa finally takes aim at one of the housing crisis’s highest-priority issues, September 2023, Globe and Mail (with Jennifer Keesmaat).
The feds must step up to help solve the housing crisis, August 2023, National Observer.
Canada’s housing crisis demands a war-time effort, August 2023, The Hub.
Opinion: The NDP’s solution to Canada’s housing crisis would do more harm than good, July 2023, Globe and Mail.
Opinion: How Canada can create more rental housing, May 2023, Globe and Mail (with Ken Boessenkool).
Learn More about MMI
For more information on MMI, please refer to the following links:
About us: Who we are and why we exist.
Our mission: Details on the strong middle-class Canada we are trying to create.
Our strategy: How we will create a strong middle-class Canada
Our impact: Our success, to date, in creating a strong middle-class Canada.
Our team: The team working towards creating a strong middle-class Canada.
Support us: How you can help us create a strong middle-class Canada.
As well as our knowledge mobilization outlets, including:
Reports: A list of long-form studies and reports, including ones that predate the formation of MMI.
Podcast: Links to the Missing Middle podcast (available in both video and audio versions), video content, and our social media content.
Media: Links to MMI mentions in the mainstream media, along with guest pieces written by MMI staff in outlets from The Globe and Mail to The Toronto Star to The Hub.
Substack archive: An archive of our past Substack posts.