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
It’s Wednesday, and normally we would have a new episode of the Missing Middle Podcast. But it’s also Christmas Eve, and the MMI team are taking a much-needed break.
However, if you’re in need of a Missing Middle Podcast fix, we do have an extensive back catalogue, available in both video (YouTube) and audio (Buzzsprout) versions, with the latter linking to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
Below, I’ve listed our 25 most viewed episodes, which I’ve grouped into six categories, along with some commentary.
The Not Just Bikes Episodes
When I was 11, I moved into Jason Slaughter’s (of Not Just Bikes fame) suburban London, Ontario (a.k.a. “Fake London”) neighbourhood, and we’ve been friends ever since, attending school together for seven years and being lab partners in science classes.
Jason’s videos on urbanism and related issues have received nearly 200 million views on YouTube alone, and the issues he tackles overlap significantly with those at MMI. And I do enjoy his rants about where we grew up, even if I don’t always agree.
Our two episodes with Jason are our most-watched in Missing Middle history, though one is about to be overtaken by a housing episode we recorded with Ron Butler.
North America Will Never Be the Netherlands (Oct. 2024; 81,000 views)
Why are North American Suburbs So Bad? (Sep. 2024; 25,000 views)
The Housing Crash
Four episodes on the post-pandemic decline in home prices crack our top 25, including an episode we recorded with the Angry Mortgage Guy, Ron Butler.
Southern Ontario and Lower Mainland British Columbia are currently experiencing something akin to a paradox. The regions absolutely need to see home prices fall, and fall further than they have. However, that fall in prices has killed the economics of building new homes, and is also costing governments billions of dollars in lost tax revenue.
The only way to simultaneously lower prices and continue building is to lower the cost of construction, including taxes, something that governments have been reluctant to do.
Ron Butler: Condo Crash Meets Housing Crisis (June 2025; 24,000 views)
Ontario’s Housing Sales Collapse: It’s Not Just Toronto Condos (Sep. 2025; 12,000 views)
If Condo Sales are Down, Why Aren’t Prices? (May 2024; 3,300 views)
The $6.6 Billion Housing Disaster Politicians Won’t Talk About (Jul. 2025; 3,100 views)
Boomers, Millennials, and Gen Z
Six of our top 25 episodes focus on issues through a generational lens, including our episode with Ed Elson of Prof G Markets, following my appearance on their show.
There is a real appetite to examine middle-class issues through the lens of demographics and generations. So much so that we’ll be launching something new in January related to it. Stay tuned!
In other news, you’ll note that Gen X is not included on this list. We truly are the forgotten generation.
Ed Elson: Is Gen Z Doomed? (Apr. 2025; 10,700 views)
Politicians vs. Millennials: The Battle for Housing Affordability (Jun. 2025; 4,300 views)
Are Boomers Bankrupting the Future? (Nov. 2025; 4,200 views)
Boomer Wealth Won’t Save Millennials (Dec. 2024; 4,100 views)
Young Workers Left Behind: The Hidden Cost of Government Layoffs (Jul. 2025; 3,100 views)
Are We Ignoring a Generation of Struggling Young Men? (Dec. 2025; 3,000 views)
Immigration, Temporary Foreign Workers, and the International Student Boom
Any episode we release on either immigration (permanent residency) or non-permanent resident programs performs really well. These include our interviews with higher-education expert Alex Usher and the former (and then current) federal Immigration Minister, Marc Miller.
We believe this issue is not going away, as governments have been unable to align population growth policies with housing, infrastructure, and social support policies, causing Canada’s immigration consensus to crumble.
From 40 to 100 million: How will immigration impact Canadian wages? (Jun. 2025; 7,900 views)
Marc Miller: The Immigration Minister on Cutting Immigration (Mar. 2024; 5,100 views)
How Colleges Broke Canadian Immigration (Jan. 2024; 4,500 views)
You Can’t Grow a Country Just on Temporary Immigration (Sep. 2024; 3,700 views)
Alex Usher: How Canada is Paying for Ontario’s Higher Education Debacle (Jan. 2025; 3,700 views)
Canada’s Addiction to Temporary Foreign Workers (Jul. 2024; 3,100 views)
Other Friends of the Pod
Neither of these episodes fits into our usual topics, but they were quite popular because both of these “friends of the pod” have widespread followings and something interesting to say that aligns with our mandate here at MMI.
Canada Has a Soft Corruption Problem - Eric Lombardi of More Neighbours Toronto (Oct. 2024; 3,900 views)
Reece Martin has a Vision for Canada’s High Speed Rail Future (Mar. 2025; 3,200 views)
And More on Housing and the Economy
Of course, we have to finish off our list with more housing and economy topics. The 2024 GST Holiday (on a very specific list of items) seems to be an all-but-forgetten policy, but at the time it generated quite a lot of discussion.
Eastbound and Outpriced: The Great GTA Family Migration (Oct. 2025; 3,200 views)
Where DID All the Jobs Go? The Mystery of Rising Unemployment. (May 2025; 3,100 views)
Why You Can’t Build Cheap Homes Anymore (Oct. 2024; 3,000 views)
We Can’t Afford a GST Holiday (Dec. 2024; 3,000 views)
The Housing Trilemma: Why You Can’t Afford a Home (May 2025; 3,000 views)
I hope this satisfies the itch for Missing Middle podcast content. We will resume with new episodes on January 7th. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!