Canada’s housing affordability

Block 1 - From Canadian inflation numbers to the latest decision on interest rates by the U.S. central bank and a takeover of a promising Canadian drug company, we recap the top stories of the week. Plus, we check in with Pedro Antunes, chief economist with the Conference Board of Canada, for his insights on when Canadian lending rates might finally start heading lower. Block 2 - It’s harder than ever to buy a home in Canada, which is a big reason why Canada’s home ownership rate is falling. We’ll take a look at Canada’s housing market By The Numbers and speak with some experts who are finding some innovative solutions to the problem. Alex Kjorven, Chief Product Officer of Ourboro, explains the company’s business model of becoming equity partners with prospective buyers by helping out with the down payment. Next, we talk to with Nikolaas Van Der Velde, Finance Manager at Indwell, who are selling community bonds to investors looking to help spur the construction of affordable housing. Block 3 - Climate scientists say we are already missing key targets for emissions, and a new book explores their thoughts about what comes next. Amanda Lang speaks to author and historian, Gwynne Dyer. And in this week’s edition of The Takeaway, Amanda says complex problems like climate change require humanity to resist our innate urge for immediate gratification, and suggests that perhaps we need to get smarter about the ways that we are dumb.