Why is it so hard to make friends once you leave school? In this episode of The Missing Middle, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt dive into the "Loneliness Epidemic" and the disappearing concept of the Third Place – those vital social hubs that aren't home (the first place) or work (the second place).

From the 1980s mall culture and bowling alleys to the modern era of "convenience-first" coffee shops and endless doomscrolling, we explore why 60% of Canadians feel disconnected from their communities. We also break down the surprising 2025 StatCan data showing that young people (15–24) are significantly lonelier than seniors.

In this episode, we discuss:

The Zoning Crisis: Why it’s literally illegal to build a walkable pub or café in most North American suburbs.

The Death of the Comfy Chair: How rising land costs forced businesses to prioritize drive-thrus over community "hangouts."

Weak Social Ties: Why interacting with people outside your "bubble" is essential for democracy, your mental health, and your career.

Practical Advice: Cara shares her (slightly terrifying) tips for meeting neighbours, and Mike discusses how rec sports saved his social life.

Chapters:
00:00 The Connectivity Paradox: Why we’re lonelier than ever
01:40 Youth are lonelier than seniors
03:10 The "Doom Scrolling" effect on community connection
04:10 What is a "Third Place"? (And why you need one)
05:20 The power of "Weak Social Ties"
07:34 How Zoning & NIMBYism killed our local hangouts
12:18 Can Digital Communities Replace Physical Ones?
14:58 High Land Costs Make Everything Worse
17:08 Practical Advice: How to Build Community Today
20:41 The Senior Discount Problem: Why cities are ignoring youth isolation
22:10 How to Push Past Rejection & Find Your People

Research/links:

Six in Ten Canadians Surveyed Have Little or No Sense of Community, New YMCA Research Reveals

https://www.ymcagta.org/news/Six-in-Ten-Canadians-Surveyed-Have-Little-or-No-Sense-of-Community

Church Closures and the Loss of Community Social Capital

https://carleton.ca/panl/wp-content/uploads/Church-Closures-and-the-Loss-of-Community-Social-Capital-By-Don-McRae-March-2023.pdf

Where Have All the Great, Good Places Gone?: The Decline of the “Third Place”

https://www.mironline.ca/where-have-all-the-great-good-places-gone-the-decline-of-the-third-place/

Third places, true citizen spaces

https://courier.unesco.org/en/articles/third-places-true-citizen-spaces

Brands should provide “third places” to help Canadians feel connected:

https://strategyonline.ca/2024/11/11/citizen-relations-report-third-places/

The Hidden Health Crisis: Understanding Loneliness in Canada
https://blog.theralist.ca/the-hidden-health-crisis-understanding-loneliness-in-canada/

Why your ‘weak-tie’ friendships may mean more than you think
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200701-why-your-weak-tie-friendships-may-mean-more-than-you-think

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation and brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute.

The unemployment rate says everything is fine. So why does finding a job feel impossible?

Canada has added nearly 200,000 jobs and unemployment sits around 6.5%. On paper, that’s a “normal” economy. But talk to young workers, or anyone trying to switch jobs, and you’ll hear a very different story: hundreds of applications, zero callbacks, and months of silence.

In this episode of Classonomics, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down the hidden story behind the headlines. They explain why low unemployment can mask a frozen job market — one with fewer layoffs, fewer hires, and far fewer opportunities for people trying to get in.

If you’re a recent grad, stuck in your career, or wondering why the economy feels worse than the data suggests, this episode is for you.

Tell us in the comments: How long has your job search taken? Has it been harder than expected?

Chapters:

00:00 – Why Finding a Job in Canada Feels Impossible Right Now

01:57 – Beyond Unemployment: The Hidden Labour Market Indicators

05:28 – Why Employers Have the Upper Hand Right Now

06:12 – Global Uncertainty, Trade Tensions & Hiring Freezes

07:26 – The "Low-Hire, Low-Fire" Equilibrium Explained

10:21 – How Over-Regulation Stifles Economic Growth

13:06 – The Systemic Impact of Locking Out a Generation

14:20 – The Housing Theory of Everything

Research:

Consulting the Magic 8 Ball of Canada’s Job Market

The Job Market Is Frozen:Unemployment is low, but workers aren’t quitting and businesses aren’t hiring. What’s going on?

Canada’s shifting labour market: Recalibrating ‘breakeven employment’

Glassdoor Worklife Trends 2025

Employment by industry, monthly, seasonally adjusted and unadjusted, and trend-cycle, last 5 months (x 1,000) 1, 2, 3, 4

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation and brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute.

Does having a baby mean you're officially "car-dependent"?

In this episode of DemograFix, Cara Stern and Reece Martin, of @RMTrasit, tackle the reality of navigating Canadian cities with kids. While many parents are told that a private vehicle is the only safe or convenient way to get around, Cara and Reece explore why our transit systems often fail families – and how we can fix them.

From the "elevator roulette" at subway stations to the hidden costs of car ownership, we’re breaking down the barriers to urban parenting.

Have you ever been "trapped" at a subway station with a stroller or in a wheelchair? Let us know in the comments.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

00:44 The "Car Trap": Why parents feel forced to drive

01:38 Canadian Transit vs. the US: How do we actually rank?

03:22 The Stroller Struggle: Accessibility "on paper" vs. reality

08:47 A Tale of Two Cities: Toronto, Montreal, and the elevator gap

13:11 Reece on the GoTrain accessibility car

15:50 The Hidden Cost: Is owning a car costing you a second child?

19:45 Policy solutions for family friendly transit

25:02 Why free transit for kids is a game changer

28:15 The problem with busses

29:48 Teens and Transit: How free fares encourages a healthier lifestyle

33:15 Making cities livable for the next generation

Research/links:

Studies on impact on free fares on active transportation for teens

https://www.getonthebus.ca/resources

Transit Use by Children and Adolescents: An Overlooked Source of and Opportunity for Physical Activity? - PMC

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5502534/

Engaging students to increase public transit ridership A guide for using city–school partnership to inspire youth to choose sustainable transportation.

https://greenmunicipalfund.ca/sites/default/files/documents/resources/guide/guidebook-engaging-students-to-increase-public-transit-ridership-gmf.pdf

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation and brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute.