Maclean’s magazine

It’s an election year and, for once, all our federal party leaders agree on something: Canada is in the throes of a debilitating housing crisis that’s wreaking political, economic and societal havoc. Forget buying a home—even rents are unaffordable for most Canadians. Where our politicians differ is on how to fix it. Pierre Poilievre wants to cut fees and taxes for building new homes, while the Liberals are offering cities millions of dollars to densify. Our response: all of the above, please. In fact, we’ve assembled 25 smart, surprising, common-sense solutions that will help us build homes fast, lower prices and cool down our blazing market. Some are futuristic, such as robot construction workers or massive 3D printers extruding entire houses. Others tackle big-picture policy, like how to fill labour shortages and free up more land for development. The one thing they have in common: they’re all absolutely achievable. Read the ideas by Oren Singer, Carolyn Whitzman, Imran Abdool, Peter Voyer, Ramtin Attar and more. https://lnkd.in/gbyKRweC

Immigrants, refugees, political targets, investigative journalists and anyone threatening the new oligarchy’s interests will be hurt the most by new border security measures. Ronald Deibert, the director of the Citizen Lab, writes that we have to acknowledge that we are in for darker times ahead and brace ourselves for that reality. It will be important to use whatever avenues that have not been perverted in North America and elsewhere to challenge unlawful surveillance. The mission of groups like the Citizen Lab, which act as independent watchdogs against abuse of power in the digital arena, has become more critical than ever before. So have those of legal and other civil society support groups, working on the frontlines. Meanwhile, the Canadian government should avoid hastily dumping resources into our own border and security agencies simply to appease Trump; it’s clear now that whatever we do won’t truly appease him anyway. Nor should we blindly mimic the unrestrained police state that is developing south of the border. If anything, our government should invest in stronger oversight to prevent abuses and discriminatory practices while simultaneously devoting resources to build support systems to migrants and refugees who need them now more than ever. https://lnkd.in/gF9ub2-r

In Canada, we’re already in a housing crunch. According to Scott Andison, the CEO of the Ontario Home Builders' Association (OHBA), tariffs will make it that much worse. Every year, Canada exports more than $35 billion in steel and aluminum down to the U.S. We also import about $20 billion of it back. Steel is a crucial component for new housing. Multi-family condo buildings, apartment buildings and purpose-built rentals are all made with aluminum studs to frame walls, ceilings and floors. They also use structural steam I-beams that support the weight of buildings. The minerals for these are harvested in Canada, shipped across the border for processing and manufacturing, then brought back to Canada. If an I-beam cost $500 per unit before, it could now cost us $$750. With steel and aluminum potentially caught in the first round of tariffs—and Trump’s threats to double the tariffs to 50 per cent—Andison expects multi-family condos and apartment buildings to be hit hard. Potential lumber tariffs, meanwhile, will affect single-family homes all over Canada. We’ll see fewer housing starts, ongoing projects slow to a halt and completed projects struggle to close. No element of the home-building market is safe. https://lnkd.in/g3hqtRSa

On Tuesday at midnight, President Trump’s long-promised 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports took effect. The next day, Trump changed his mind and implemented a one-month pause for automakers to move their production to the U.S. The day after that, he suspended almost all tariffs until April 2. University of Windsor automotive engineering professor Peter Frise predicted the flip-flop, especially as Wall Street lost more than $3 trillion last week. “Trump cares deeply about the stock market, and I think he saw the crash,” says Frise. “I also suspect the White House was bombarded by visits, letters and phone calls from business leaders warning him just how bad things would get.” Tariffs will affect most, if not all, industries in Canada, but none as immediately or obviously as the automotive industry. For automakers, the fallout could mean mass layoffs within weeks. For consumers, it’s sticker shock—they can expect to pay $50,000 today for a vehicle that cost $40,000 yesterday. We spoke with Frise about how Trump’s tariffs could affect the automotive industry, why it’s a particularly vulnerable sector and how automakers and consumers can fight back. Frise spoke with Maclean's about how the automotive tariffs might bring chaos to economy. https://lnkd.in/ew2bH9iF

Donald Trump spent the first six weeks of his presidency targeting Canada’s sovereignty and economy. His latest move—a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods—could devastate industries on both sides of the border. When the G7 Summit takes place in Alberta this June, Trump is expected to attend, marking his first visit to Canada since returning to power. That is a step too far for one Albertan. Last month, Gerard Aldridge, a 67-year-old retiree from Fairview, Alberta, launched a parliamentary petition to bar Trump from entering Canada. The petition has amassed more than 57,000 signatures so far. Sponsored by NDP MP Charlie Angus, the petition argues that Trump’s criminal record and repeated threats to Canada could make him inadmissible. Maclean's spoke with Aldridge about the impacts of Trump’s attacks on Canada and what he hopes his petition will accomplish. https://lnkd.in/gK_jxevW

The cracks in Wayne Gretzky’s patriotism have been showing for years. https://lnkd.in/gNBZQi6a

Geoff Smith, chair of the board of EllisDon, says this trade war is Canada's economic Battle of Britain.The odds look steep. But he thinks we can win this. https://lnkd.in/gP6Rdq8B

LGen Jennie Carignan ✅—and the nearly 95,000 military members under her command—face threats on multiple fronts: online (disinformation), on Earth (new tensions with our oldest ally) and in space (if you can process that). https://lnkd.in/gExUeFnH

Criminals impersonating the CRA, Canada Post and other government agencies are often employed by elaborate overseas operations with thousands of workers. Read the story by Sarah Treleaven now. https://lnkd.in/efJvU94T

"In Canada it doesn’t feel like we have much unity, but I think there’s a very real, rare and growing national sentiment about maintaining our autonomy and looking inward at what we could produce for ourselves without relying on our “friend” to the south." https://lnkd.in/ef2bH6x9