2026 Spring Economic Update: Canada Strong for All?
Last week, the Government released its highly anticipated Spring Economic Update. I, along with many across the country, tuned in with cautious optimism. What followed was a speech that felt deeply disconnected from the realities of life in Canada, one that had little to say to the millions of Canadians who are struggling to make […]
2026 Spring Economic Update: Canada Strong for All?
Last week, the Government released its highly anticipated Spring Economic Update. I, along with many across the country, tuned in with cautious optimism. What followed was a speech that felt deeply disconnected from the realities of life in Canada, one that had little to say to the millions of Canadians who are struggling to make […]
Q2 2026 Newsletter
Analysis of the European Affordable Housing Plan
The Shift welcomes the European Commission’s publication of the first-ever European Affordable Housing Plan (EAHP). This landmark initiative signals that the EU recognises housing as more than a market commodity and is, as the Plan states, “a fundamental right and a cornerstone of human dignity.” The appointment of the EU’s first Commissioner for Energy and […]
The Green Investment Myth: How Banks Fuel Both Housing and Climate Crises
By Leilani Farha & Richard Brooks Canada’s six largest banks just reported their highest quarterly profits on record. RBC’s earnings jumped 29% to $5.4 billion. CIBC climbed 16% to $2.2 billion. Even TD, amid restructuring costs and anti-money-laundering penalties, saw adjusted profits rise 22%. All six banks beat analysts’ estimates as capital markets surged and […]
Beyond the Smart City: Whose Intelligence Matters?
World Cities Day 2025 celebrates “People-centred Smart Cities”—a vision worth pursuing and one that requires that we explore what it means to truly center people in our vision of the future. The smart city narrative promises elegant solutions: sensors, algorithms, and data analytics making cities more efficient, sustainable, and livable. Yet across cities worldwide, these […]
Q3 2025 Newsletter
CESCR Concluding observations to the Netherlands— Recommendations
Fighting for Human Rights at the Heart of EU Housing Policy
The Shift is working to ensure the human right to housing stands at the foundation of the European Union’s first-ever Affordable Housing Plan, a historic moment as the EU steps into housing policy after a long precedent of the opposite. Through our Taskforce on Sustainable Affordable Housing, created alongside the Institute for Human Rights and […]
Q2 2025 Newsletter Edition
