A recent report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation estimates that Canada will need 3.5 million new housing units by 2030 to restore affordability. While simply increasing housing supply is often heralded as the solution to the housing crisis, it’s not the cure-all many people think it is.

Housing unaffordability is only one type of housing vulnerability Canadians are facing. Housing vulnerability means more than the lack of available housing — it also means housing instability, a lack of features that improve people’s everyday lives and access to neighbourhood amenities.

Today in The Conversation Canada, Yushu Zhu, Meg Holden and Dorin Vaez Mahdavi from Simon Fraser University write that increasing the supply of housing will not end the housing crisis on its own. They argue that public policies should be rooted in a better understanding of what it means to be safe and sound at home.

They write: “To build long-term community resilience, public policies should pay attention not only to housing adequacy but also to residential stability and the quality of life that homes and neighbourhoods provide.”

Also today:

Eleni Vlahiotis

Assistant Editor, Business + Economy
Housing policy-makers should pay attention not only to how much housing is available and how often rental units turn over, but to residential stability and the quality of life that homes and neighbourhoods provide. (Shutterstock)

More housing supply isn’t a cure-all for the housing crisis

Yushu Zhu, Simon Fraser University; Dorin Vaez Mahdavi, Simon Fraser University; Meg Holden, Simon Fraser University

Unaffordability is only one type of housing vulnerability that has taken its toll on British Columbians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the aftermath of her dismissal, alleged statements about Lisa LaFlamme’s grey hair by CTV executives have ignited debates around the expectations placed on the physical appearance of women. (Bell Media)

Grey hair: Fine for George Clooney but not Lisa LaFlamme?

Victoria Atabakhsh, University of Waterloo; Joe Todd, University of Waterloo

For many men, grey hair is just part of getting older, but for women, going grey can have major consequences.
There are important strategies families can use to help promote mental health as kids head back to school and daily routines change. (Shutterstock)

Back to school: Time to revisit strategies for child and family mental health

Nicole Racine, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa; Dillon Thomas Browne, University of Waterloo; Stephanie G. Craig, University of Guelph

Family routines can provide stability during times of stress. Here are four strategies for building resilience against stress and family challenges to put into place as children head back to school.
Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) is an important first step, but for meaningful change to take place the federal government must embrace an independent, third-party judicial inquiry. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Addressing athlete abuse in Canadian sport requires internal change and external investigators

MacIntosh Ross, Western University

The federal government has created a Sport Integrity Commissioner to help athletes dealing with abuse. But for change to be meaningful, third-party investigators must be part of the process.

La Conversation Canada
La production des EPI se concentre en Asie, surtout en Chine, qui répondait à 50% de la demande au moment où la pandémie s’est amorcée en 2020. (Shutterstock)

Production locale d’équipements de protection : la solution pour éviter les pénuries futures ?

Claudia Rebolledo, HEC Montréal; Martin Beaulieu, HEC Montréal

Est-ce que la production locale des équipements de protection individuelle (EPI) représente la solution miracle pour assurer l’approvisionnement en EPI lors de la prochaine pandémie ?

Ukraine Invasion

Arts

Culture + Society

Science + Tech