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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt

@mikepmoffatt.bsky.social
12K followers 73 following 2.8K posts

Co-Host, "Missing Middle". Husband. Father. Brother. Son. Economist. Housing guy. I used to do other stuff.

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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 3h
Through a Freedom of Information request, the Toronto Star got access to an Ontario Mayors' WhatsApp chat. Turns out, Mayors have things to say about our work! (FWIW, we stand by our piece).
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 8h
New episode! In "Why Young People Are Losing Faith in the Political System," we look at what research tells us about the relationship between the housing crisis and political views across North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watc...
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 23h
As promised, our new interview with Bank of Canada Governor Carolyn Rogers, where we discuss housing affordability, productivity, how the BoC thinks about housing when making rate decisions, and whether Canada is an optimal currency area. Watch here:
youtube.com
Bank of Canada’s Carolyn Rogers on Productivity, Trade-offs, and Housing
Join us for an exclusive post-speech interview with Bank of Canada Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Rogers following her address to the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce and CFA Society Victoria. In this conversation, Rogers sits down to unpack her frank speech on Canada's housing affordability di
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Bonus episode! Today at 5 PM EST, we'll release an interview with Bank of Canada Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Rogers, where we'll chat about the housing crisis, the relationship between interest rates and housing affordability, and how housing is measured in the CPI.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The 2024 Canadian Housing Survey was released a couple of weeks ago. Not surprisingly, it shows that homeownership rates are falling for people in their late 20s and early 30s.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
New episode! We examine how Canada’s outdated Employment Insurance model leaves young professionals and gig workers behind amid record spikes in youth unemployment, explore why current rules penalize urban renters, and how we can fix it. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watc...
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
In other news, this just popped up on my Facebook memories page. 3 years ago today. So much has changed since then. And by "so much", I mean my haircut.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
My latest at the Globe. While the recent spike in bond yields and interest rates was caused by transitory factors, we should expect a secular rise in rates over the next 2 decades due to population aging and growing government debt. Read here:
theglobeandmail.com
Bad news for young people: Interest rates could go up for decades
Resolving Hormuz conflict will reduce inflation and interest rates in the short run, but long-run factors will push rates higher over time
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Reposted by Dr. Mike P. Moffatt
John Michael McGrath @jm-mcgrath.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The corollary to this is that progressive urbanism must also be at least a little bit libertarian to be liberatory; to get organic, informal networks you need to allow the uncontrolled and unpredictable, whether that's different and novel housing or jobs or amusement.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
As life milestones get pushed further into our 30s, biology remains the one deadline that refuses to bend. In this episode of DemograFix, we take a deep dive into the business, economics, and realities of egg freezing. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watc...
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Reposted by Dr. Mike P. Moffatt
The Rundown @therundowntvo.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Why has housing remained so unaffordable, and what would it take to change that? Economist @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social of @missingmiddleca.bsky.social joins @jeyantvo.bsky.social to explain how interest rates and the broader economy are shaping Canada’s housing market.
youtu.be
Is Canada's Housing Crisis About to Get Worse? | The Rundown
YouTube video by TVO Today
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The Globe and Mail asked a bunch of policy wonks for their ideas to improve our tax system. Mine: A "like-kind exchange" to get new rental apartments built in Canada rather than the US. The full piece here: www.theglobeandmail....
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Reposted by Dr. Mike P. Moffatt
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 24/09/2026
Americans may not be able to afford to buy a home, but at least they also can’t afford gas or groceries
nytimes.com
Mortgage Rates Hit 7% as Iran War Fallout Crushes a Weak Housing Market (Gift Article)
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the United States jumped to 7.03 percent, putting pressure on housing affordability.
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Reposted by Dr. Mike P. Moffatt
The Rundown @therundowntvo.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
“Housing is this kind of slow-moving, glacial crisis.” — @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social of @missingmiddleca.bsky.social tells @jeyantvo.bsky.social why governments can't afford to take their eye off housing, even as trade and international issues dominate the agenda. | Producer: Mike Attenborough
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I've been going back and reading some of @alexusherhesa.bsky.social's posts on the int'l student issue from 2023 or so, and they hold up really well. Like this one: higheredstrategy.com/the-bailiffs...
higheredstrategy.com
The Bailiffs Are at the Door | HESA
Just a short one today, because I am spending my Sunday on a flight to Almaty and have less time than usual to blog. Last month, I wrote “The Bill is Coming Due”.  It largely revolved around the theme...
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This narrative is out there, but only partly true. We had one community college bring in 30,000 international students into a 600,000 person metro area overnight. There is no housing policy on the planet would prevent this from causing tensions.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This is almost as bad as when Archie Bunker sent a package to England that was meant for London, Ontario. Almost.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
New episode! I sit down with The Wealthy Barber author David Chilton to discuss how Canadian personal finance advice must adapt to skyrocketing housing costs, easy credit, and shifting markets, and how things have changed since the early 90s. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watc...
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Here's something fun I stumbled upon. My Uncle Chuck owned a couple of hair salons, including one in London. Here's an ad of theirs from 1982. I love, absolutely love the design on this.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
New episode! Cara talks to Tom Babin, an urban cycling advocate and creator of the YouTube channel Shifter, about how and why bike lanes triggered a culture war and what this means for the future of transportation. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watc...
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
What is this, the Carter Administration?
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
New piece at iPolitics, with Adam Mongrain (@adammongrain.bsky.social) of More and Better Housing. Canada joining the EU as an "Associate Member" could lower the cost of building a home in Canada while opening new export markets. Read here:
ipolitics.ca
Canada wants more trade with Europe. Start with housing
A well-crafted deal with the EU could also lower the cost of building a home in Canada, while opening new markets for suppliers and manufacturers of construction materials.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Today, the EU President said she wants "Canada to [be] the first associate member of the EU." Join our 9:30 am livestream on YouTube to get answers to your questions about what this means for Canada. Reply with your Q below.
youtube.com
Canada Joins the EU?
Thanks for joining our exclusive live broadcast. Feel free to share your questions and interact with other participants in the chat.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Productivity Mega Deduction vs Productivity Super Deduction is my all-time favourite kaiju film.
static.klipy.com
Vincent X Vincent
ALT: Vincent X Vincent
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
This is really smart. The federal government is now allowing full capital expensing on 2/3rds of capital investments by businesses to incentivize investing back into companies, rather than sitting on dead money. www.canada.ca/en/dep...
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
We're doing a livestream Q&A tomorrow at 9:15am on the future of the Canada-EU relationship. Reply to this post with your question; we'll get to as many as we can. Looking forward to seeing you there!
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
My latest at the Globe. If Canada wants to retaliate against the US, we should not just increase tariffs on U.S. products, but we should also lower them on non-US imports, to diversify trade and enhance affordability for Canadians. Read here:
theglobeandmail.com
Canada should lower pointless tariffs on goods from countries other than the U.S.
Many long-established tariffs raise prices for consumers and serve no useful purpose
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Announcement! Our Wednesday episode this week with be a livestream episode of Answer Period, where Sabrina and I will discuss the pros and cons of closer economic integration with the EU. Please reply with your question; we're making a list. www.youtube.com/live...
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I'm delighted to see Trump Tariff episode of Prof G Markets where I'm interviewed by Ed Elson has passed 300,000 views, and has cracked the top 10 of their all-time viewed episodes. It was a fun one (about a not so fun topic)! Watch here:
youtube.com
Canadian Economist: Trump’s Tariffs Are A Gift To Mark Carney
Ed Elson is joined by Mike Moffatt to break down Canada’s retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. and what it means for the relationship between the two countries. Then, John Burn-Murdoch joins to unpack why the OECD’s global education report card was the worst on record and how it could impact the int
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
FWIW, I've often half-joked that the fastest way for Canada to remove inter-provincial trade barriers would be to join the EU, as it would force us to adopt EU regs.
ctvnews.ca
Carney pushes idea of making Canada ‘associate member’ of EU, WSJ reports
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney wants closer links with the European Union and is exploring whether his country could become an “associate member” of the bloc, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
When it comes to housing, blue states have a massive governance problem. Chicago doesn't even appear on this chart, due to a lack of data availability, a sign of truly poor governance.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Interesting piece from the Globe's editorial board, calling for Australia-like reform to Canada's foreign buyer ban.
theglobeandmail.com
Globe editorial: A fix for the foreign buyer ban
Ottawa should narrow its scope and allow foreigners to buy new homes
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
New piece by MMIer Cara Stern on how badly designed street parking permit rules are disadvantaging younger Torontonians and depriving the City of much-needed revenue.
thehub.ca
Parking: The not-so-hidden problem making our housing crisis worse
Empty parking lots, pricier homes: how outdated parking mandates are making Canada's housing crisis worse than it needs to be.
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Reposted by Dr. Mike P. Moffatt
Cara Stern @carastern.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
New from me in the Hub: Banning multiplex residents from street parking permits creates a two-tier class system that protects the convenience of single-family homeowners at the expense of Canadians who are already settling for less.
thehub.ca
Parking: The not-so-hidden problem making our housing crisis worse
Empty parking lots, pricier homes: how outdated parking mandates are making Canada's housing crisis worse than it needs to be.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Delighted to be a guest on Prof G Markets and chat with Ed Elson about a subject that Canadians aren't delighted about: the Trump tariffs and what they mean for Canada. Watch here:
youtube.com
Canadian Economist: Trump’s Tariffs Are A Gift To Mark Carney
Ed Elson is joined by Mike Moffatt to break down Canada’s retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. and what it means for the relationship between the two countries. Then, John Burn-Murdoch joins to unpack why the OECD’s global education report card was the worst on record and how it could impact the int
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
New episode! Today I interview Adam Mongrain of More and Better Housing about ways that Canada can build... more and better housing. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watc...
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
New at iPolitics by Derek Lobo at the Nat'l Apartment Council and me. Canadians are the largest int'l investors in U.S. real estate, but with some simple tweaks to the tax code, we could keep those dollars here to build new purpose-built rental housing.
ipolitics.ca
Canada has the capital to build more rental housing. We just need to unlock it
Governments need to find a way to allow apartment builders to defer their capital gains tax without delaying the construction of new buildings. Canada could look to a U.S. tax rule to do just that.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
New at the Star! Adam Mongrain ( @adammongrain.bsky.social ) of More and Better Housing and I discuss how the federal government can lower the cost of building social housing through a tweak to the tax code.
thestar.com
This is how we could fix a problem Canada has been overlooking for decades
Social housing has been abandoned in Canada. This is how smart tax breaks could fix it.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Yesterday's election in Saxony-Anhalt shows that as mainstream political parties continue to ramp up support for pensioners, younger voters are looking for extreme options, on both the right and left.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Love this new short from MMIer Sean, on Canada's brain drain of young workers to the United States.
youtube.com
Canada's Brain Drain: Why Skilled Workers Choose US #shorts
Canada faces a brain drain as highly skilled young workers choose to relocate to the United States. To retain talent, Canada must focus on affordable housing and tax reforms. Let's make Canada a more competitive and attractive place to live and work. #BrainDrain #CanadaEconomy #SkilledWorkers #Emigr
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
New episode! Over 20% of Canadians are ineligible to vote because of their age. Today we examine how that's skewing our politics and public policy, and what we could do about it. Watch "Why 7 Million Canadians Can’t Vote (And How to Fix It)" here: www.youtube.com/watc...
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
New episode! Today we look at the rise of electrification and under investments in last mile infrastructure, and how they're slowing greenfield housing development. (Infill is a whole other issue, which we'll discuss in a future episode). Watch here: www.missingmiddleini...
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Good night for the Liberals - they got more votes in North Van than any of the parties did in all 3 ridings combined. The NDP and BQ finished in a virtual tie in total votes, despite the BQ contesting only one riding.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Saw a lot of online chatter this weekend about the growth rate of the Canadian money supply (M2). Not surprisingly, it did rise faster than average during the pandemic, but in recent years as been at, or below, historic norms.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
A fantastic Sunday Globe editorial on the exodus of families out of Toronto and the collective refusal of governments to do anything about the pricing-out of the middle class. The Neptis Foundation's "Impossible Toronto" gets a well-deserved shout-out.
theglobeandmail.com
Globe editorial: The swing of young families away from Toronto needs to stop
It will take a determined shift in policy, and attitudes, to stop the exodus of families with children from Canada’s biggest city
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Another spoiler from an upcoming report. Young workers used to move *towards* economic opportunities. But with the housing crisis, they're moving *away* from them, towards less dynamic job markets in search of a home they can afford.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Social media can be good sometimes. My Dad found this on FB. His Dad (my grandfather) was a brakeman for CP, and that's Grandpa's stationwagon in this 1966 from London, ON. My grandfather passed away before I was born, so I don't get to see stuff like this too often.
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
New episode! Cara and I recorded this one live and took your questions. Was a lot of fun! Trump, Tariffs and Canada’s Next Move - Trade War Q&A
youtube.com
Trump, Tariffs and Canada’s Next Move Trade War Q&A: How the New
Canada’s trade relationship with the United States is facing major challenges. In this replay of a live episode recorded on Friday August 28, Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern break down Canada’s trade war with the U.S., the impact of tariffs, and what it all means for the Canadian economy. They explore
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
At noon EST Cara and I will be on YouTube, doing a livestream Q&A about the ongoing Canada-US trade mess, and how this week we all learned what the word 'hydronym' means. Join us here:
youtube.com
Trade War Q&A - Missing Middle's Answer Period - YouTube
As global trade tensions escalate, the real-world consequences are hitting home. From rising consumer costs to shifting job markets, middle-class families an...
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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Cara and I will be doing a livestream Q&A on Friday at noon EST on YouTube, about the ongoing US-Canada trade dispute. Post your question below and we'll get to as many as we can.
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