Split up? In this economy?!
About one in three marriages end in divorce in Canada. But the high cost of housing has some people doing the unthinkable — continuing to live with their ex.
Sep 05, 2025•26 min•Season 7Ep. 1
Cost of Living
Money talks. We translate. Every Friday, Paul Haavardsrud looks at the way money shapes our lives in ways big, small, obvious, and unseen. From Big Macs to Big Banks, the Cost of Living connects the dots between the economy and everyday life.
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Episodes
From the archives: Your questions about the economy
This week, we dug through the vaults to find the best of your questions! Like, why does a deli roast chicken cost less than cooking one yourself? What's the deal with reverse mortgages? And do charities really make money from those giant clothing donation bins?
Aug 29, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 52
Has Canada's EV dream stalled?
Canadians have hit the breaks on buying electric vehicles. But to meet the federal mandate, 10 years from now, every new vehicle sold in this country will have to be zero emission. So how are we going to get there?
Aug 22, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 51
Why hasn't the tariff apocalypse happened?
Back in the spring, Trump's tariff threats had Canadians ducking for cover. We were bracing for massive job losses, inflation, even a full-blown recession. But for the most part, the economy is chugging along better than expected. So what gives?
Aug 15, 2025•27 min•Season 6Ep. 50
Should Canada join the EU?
It's not as far-fetched as it sounds. Canada needs new economic allies, and we meet a lot of the criteria for membership. So could we? Should we? Montreal political scientist, Frederic Menard, outlines the pros and cons of joining the EU.
Aug 08, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 49
New to Cost of Living? Start here!
Money talks. We translate. Paul Haavardsrud looks at the way money shapes our lives in ways big, small, obvious, and unseen. New episodes drop every Friday.
Aug 01, 2025•1 min
Rob Carrick on 3 decades of writing about personal finance
The world of money has changed a lot since the 90s, and Rob Carrick has seen it all. From the 2008 financial crisis to the recent rise in housing prices, Rob looks back at a career as the personal finance columnist for the Globe and Mail .
Aug 01, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 48
This number is the magic key to your identity
Social insurance numbers are like snowflakes. No two are alike. That's what makes them so valuable to the wrong kind of people. So if SINs are so important to hold close, why are we asked to share them so often?
Jul 25, 2025•27 min•Season 6Ep. 47
Do you know where your retirement savings are? (Encore)
Some of us might forget $20 in a coat pocket, but what about thousands of dollars in pension payments? It happens more often than you might think. We'll explain why Canadians lose track of their own retirement savings and how to reclaim them.
Jul 18, 2025•27 min•Season 6Ep. 46
Here comes the sun (Encore)
A world powered by solar energy has been on the horizon for years. But with costs dropping at a rapid pace, the renewable may be about to have its moment in the sun. So what could we achieve with all that cheap, unlimited energy?
Jul 11, 2025•27 min•Season 6Ep. 45
Is Canada pulling back too much on immigration? (Encore)
Massive population growth in the last few years put pressure on housing and healthcare. But all those people have also been pouring money into the economy and, by some accounts, keeping us out of a recession. So does a plan for negative population growth risk steering us into the economic ditch?
Jul 04, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 44
How do Americans feel about the trade war — and Canada?
Trump's tariffs have caused a lot of aggro between Canada and the U.S. But on a personal level, many of us still have friends down south. NPR host Darian Woods with the economics podcast, The Indicator, joins us to talk about covering Trump, how average Americans feel about the tariffs and the state of our cross-border relationship.
Jun 27, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 42
Why your SIN is gold for cyberthieves
Social insurance numbers are like snowflakes. No two are alike. That's what makes them so valuable to the wrong kind of people. With a stolen SIN, thieves can open bank accounts, take out loans — all in someone else's name. So if SINs are so important to hold close, why are we asked to share them so often?
Jun 21, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 41
Why 'build, baby build' won't be enough to fix housing
John Pasalis says building more housing isn't the only solution to high home prices. It ignores an even bigger problem: investors. He explains how decades of low interest rates and tax policy have turned us into a nation of real estate speculators — and until we fix that, prices aren't going anywhere.
Jun 13, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 40
Wait. What!? Canada had a car company?
Back in the mid-2000s, a group of entrepreneurs rolled out a made-in-Canada electric car called Zenn. Based on the European micro-car, it became a darling on the venture exchange. But Canadian regulators were less enamoured of its low speeds and the company hit a roadblock. So what happened? And did we miss out on our piece of the EV revolution?
Jun 07, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 39
Is Canada recession ready?
Growing unemployment, tariffs and flatlining GDP all point in the same concerning direction. Canada may be headed for a recession. Paul Haavarsrud talks to economist Armine Yalnizyan about the economic road ahead.
May 30, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 38
Is it time for a Canuck-mobile?
Germany has Volkswagen. Japan has Toyota. So why doesn't Canada have a car? We explore what it would take to build an all-Canadian automobile.
May 23, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 37
A manufactured economy
Trump tariffs are supposed to "Make Manufacturing Great Again." Only, robots are a thing now. So why is he scrambling up the global economy when the factory jobs he talks about are stuck in the 1970s?
May 17, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 36
Can we make houses like we make cars?
Prefab housing is getting a lot of attention as a way to solve the housing crisis. But so far, it hasn't caught on in a big way. So what would it take to transform housing construction into something closer to the auto industry?
May 10, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 36
Build, baby, build
Leaders in Canada are talking about building a lot of stuff right now: pipelines, ports, railways and highways. As one expert puts it, "We can build anything. But we can't build everything." So what should go ahead? And how much will it cost?
May 03, 2025•26 min•Season 6Ep. 35
Breaking up Big Tech
Sure, the internet belongs to everyone. But a handful of big companies exert a tremendous amount of control over it. Now two of them, Meta and Google, face antitrust charges in the United States. So what does this mean for the future of our online experience?
Apr 25, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 34
Is the best economic offence, more spending on defence?
With Canada under pressure to meet its NATO commitments, the Liberals, Conservatives and NDP are making promises to increase military spending. So, could we leverage that money to spur innovation and boost the Canadian economy?
Apr 18, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 33
How's everybody doing?
It's not a trivial question. In fact, how people are feeling about their finances can be a key economic indicator. And right now, that indicator is flashing red. So we thought we'd fan out across the country and ask people — how's it going?
Apr 12, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 32
BONUS! Why there's no referee for the trade war (The Indicator from NPR’s Planet Money)
Thirty years ago, the U.S. helped create the World Trade Organization, a group of countries linked by a common set of free trade agreements. But then, starting with the Obama administration, the country turned against the WTO. This leaves a void where there should be a referee to settle trade disputes between countries. On this episode of NPR's The Indicator from Planet Money , how American grievances paralyzed the WTO's dispute settlement system and what happens when the U.S. no longer wants to...
Apr 07, 2025•10 min
One American says 'sorry'
Economist Justin Wolfers says Trump’s tariffs are "madness" and — on behalf of America — wants to apologize. He tells us why the U.S. president’s zero sum view of economics fails to understand the benefits of global trade.
Apr 05, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 31
Where is Canada's next superstar city?
Toronto and Vancouver can't build housing fast enough to keep up with demand. So what if Canada invested billions to turn a smaller city into their superstar rival? Could it create balance in the housing universe?
Mar 29, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 30
The only certainty is uncertainty
When people are nervous about the future of the economy, they often hold back. Maybe they don’t buy that new fridge or take that new job in a different province. It all adds up to a potential stall in our economy. And that just makes people even more uncertain. But is there a way to break the cycle?
Mar 22, 2025•26 min•Season 6Ep. 29
Wait?! Was John Turner right about free trade?
Back when North American free trade was still just an idea, Liberal leader John Turner opposed it. He warned that handing over the "economic levers" could lead to a loss of Canada's political independence. Brian Mulroney won the election and free trade brought Canada all kinds of prosperity. But now? Well, we explore why Turner's ideas are having an "I told you so" moment.
Mar 15, 2025•28 min•Season 6Ep. 28
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