Canada Could Build Better Homes AND Make Them Cheaper

Why is Canadian housing so expensive and why are we getting so little for our money? In this episode of the Missing Middle Podcast, Mike Moffatt talks with Adam Mongrain of More and Better Housing about how Canada can build more affordable, better-quality homes while also tackling climate change and housing affordability. They dig into why Canada struggles to build the “missing middle” housing that exists in cities around the world, and how zoning rules, building codes, construction costs and a lack of standardization are making it harder and more expensive to build the homes Canadians actually want. Adam explains why legalizing density isn’t about deregulation, how European-style housing could help lower costs, why Canadian elevators can cost four times as much as comparable ones in Switzerland, and how modern construction methods could transform the housing market. They also discuss climate-resilient housing, the need for millions more social and not-for-profit homes, and the five “game changers” that More and Better Housing believes could help Canada build more and build better. Chapters: 00:00 — Why Is Missing Middle Housing Missing? 02:27 — What Does “More and Better Housing” Mean? 04:51 — Can Better Housing Also Be More Affordable? 07:43 — Why New Housing Isn’t Worth the Price 11:23 — What Does “Legalizing Density” Actually Mean? 15:37 — How Building Codes Drive Up Housing Costs 19:14 — Why Factory-Built Housing Needs New Standards 21:57 — Building Housing for a Changing Climate 23:27 — Can Canada Afford Millions of Nonprofit Homes? Research/links: More and Better Housing Canada website: https://www.moreandbetterhousing.ca/  This is how we could fix a problem Canada has been overlooking for decadeshttps://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/this-is-how-we-could-fix-a-problem-canada-has-been-overlooking-for-decades/article\_6970b764-8d33-4d7d-87d6-be8efea8038c.html  Blueprint for More and Better Housing: https://housingandclimate.ca/blueprint/ Four Pathways to Housing Affordability report: https://housingandclimate.ca/2024/11/19/fourpathways/ Credits Mike Moffatt https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatt https://bsky.app/profile/mikepmoffatt.bsky.social Sabrina Maddeaux https://x.com/SabrinaMaddeaux Meredith Martin  https://twitter.com/meredithmartin https://bsky.app/profile/meredithmartin.bsky.social Sean Foreman @seanegertonforeman https://bsky.app/profile/seanforeman.bsky.social Cara Stern https://x.com/carastern https://bsky.app/profile/carastern.bsky.social University Of Ottawa Co-op Student: Kelly Hoban Funded by the Neptis Foundation https://neptis.org/ Brought to you by the Missing Middle Initiative https://www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/ **Hosted by** Mike Moffatt **&** Cara Stern **&** Sabrina Maddeaux **Produced by** Meredith Martin Funded by the Neptis Foundation https://neptis.org/