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.
Website : https://www.cbc.ca/radio/costofliving
RSS Feed : https://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/includes/costofliving.xml
Last Episode : July 25, 2025 11:10pm
Last Scanned : 4.8 hours ago


Episodes
Episodes currently hosted on IPFS.
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.
Published 07/18
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?
Published 07/04
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.
Published 06/27
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?
Published 06/21
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.
Published 06/13