annually
to income ratio
major cities
annual (PR only)
From Unaffordable to Homeless
The Pipeline
Housing financialization → prices at 8x income (12-13x in Toronto/Vancouver) → vacancy rates near zero → rent consumes 50%+ of income for many → one job loss, health crisis, or family breakdown → homelessness. The pathway from housed to homeless is documented and predictable. The 5 policy mechanisms that drive unaffordability are all federal decisions. The homelessness they produce is the downstream consequence.
The Health Deterioration
Homelessness accelerates health deterioration: exposure to elements, inability to manage chronic conditions without stable housing, mental health crises intensified by street conditions, substance use as coping mechanism. Life expectancy for chronically homeless individuals is significantly lower than the housed population. As documented in the mental health funding gap, the system spends 7% on mental health (OECD avg 12%+). Homeless individuals who need mental health treatment cannot access it — and their conditions become "irremediable" in the legal sense that qualifies for MAID Track 2.
Homelessness and MAID
Documented cases exist of individuals experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity who have accessed or been offered MAID. When the system that created the housing crisis — through CMHC insurance, REIT tax treatment, and immigration mismatch — also provides MAID as an option for those the crisis destroys, the circle is complete. The same institutional capture that financialised housing and created homelessness offers death to those it made homeless.
The Complete Circle
Financialise housing → price out families → homelessness → health deterioration → can't access mental health → "irremediable" → MAID Track 2 → $8,150
The system creates the homelessness. The system fails to treat the health consequences. The system offers death as the final solution. The PM's portfolio benefits from both the housing financialization and the reduced care demand.