Would a basic income reduce pressure on Canadian health care systems? If so, what would it cost? How can policy drive sustainable and affordable housing? Who is already making these changes in practice? How can we push racism out of medical care?
Well, what does the evidence say? At The Best Evidence Podcast, we do the hard work of sifting through academic research to help listeners understand the facts on income, housing, and other hot topics that will lead to a better world. In conversations with experts, thought leaders, and decision-makers, we present content that is practical and entertaining. This show might just change our future.
Hosted by Cynthia Belaskie and Robbie Brydon, The Best Evidence Podcast features some of the leading thinkers in Canada and around the world. They take a deep dive into cutting-edge research to provide fresh, evidence-based insight on issues that impact Canadians today. We delve into the evidence, pull out what is essential, and figure out what to make of it.
We provide policymakers and engaged, inquisitive citizens with the essentials. Critical facts, plain language analysis, and lively debates help them make the right decision when it matters most. We keep a careful eye on the real-world constraints facing policymakers while exploring the possibilities within those constraints.
Evidence-based decision-making started in the practice of medicine in the 1990s. Decisions made in the operating room are life-or-death, but decisions in legislature chambers and civil service meeting rooms can be life-or-death, too…and for many more lives. Policymakers need to be up to date on relevant issues and evidence to do their jobs well. For policy that is current, relevant, efficient and effective, we must look to the best evidence as a guide.
Join Robbie and Cynthia as they bring together brilliant minds dissecting the best evidence for a better world.
There’s a looming housing affordability crisis here in Canada, affecting more than just home ownership. The escalating housing price has had a ripple effect on renters that feels more like a tsunami, and people are finding it harder to acquire homes even with a middle-class income. How much more is it affecting the lower-income…
Prince Edward Island, unlike other provinces, has unit-based rent control, with rent being tied to the units instead of the tenant. However, there is no formal mechanism to know what rent was paid by a previous tenant, despite a provincial bill passed to establish one in 2019. Join Cynthia Belaskie and Robbie Brydon as they talk to Darcie Lanthier, a member of the Green Party of Canada and an advocate of rent control. Darcie founded My Old Apartment to help past tenants tell current tenants what the legal maximum rent should be. In less than a year they added 10% of all apartments in Charlottetown to the registry and have helped tenants get back money – up to $20,000 – that was charged above that maximum. Tune in as Darcie discusses the importance of rent control and advocates for tenants on the housing market.
Prince Edward Island, unlike other provinces, has unit-based rent control, with rent being tied to the units instead of the tenant. However, there is no formal mechanism to know what rent was paid by a previous tenant, despite a provincial bill passed to establish one in 2019. Join Cynthia Belaskie and Robbie Brydon as they talk to Darcie Lanthier, a member of the Green Party of Canada and an advocate of rent control. Darcie founded My Old Apartment to help past tenants tell current tenants what the legal maximum rent should be. In less than a year they added 10% of all apartments in Charlottetown to the registry and have helped tenants get back money – up to $20,000 – that was charged above that maximum. Tune in as Darcie discusses the importance of rent control and advocates for tenants on the housing market.
How do we solve the issue of LGBTQ2 vulnerability in housing? In this episode, Cynthia Belaskie and Robbie Brydon’s guest is Kenna McDowell, a graduate student in the Human Geography program at the University of Alberta. Kenna explains that expanding the social and affordable housing sector could solve so many issues that queer people experience. Especially because queer people are more likely to experience violence and discrimination in emergency shelters. Join in the conversation to learn more about LGBTQ2 vulnerability in housing and what you can do to help in your little way. Tune in!
One of the main goals of community housing is to provide more affordable homes for those in need and, ultimately, to help them keep those homes. But what are the eviction prevention practices in place that people can rely on when the going gets tough? In today’s episode, Cynthia Belaskie and Robbie Brydon are joined by Dr. Damian Collins of the University of Alberta. Damian is involved in research with Community Housing Canada and recently published the article, “When We Do Evict Them, It’s a Last Resort”: Eviction Prevention in Social and Affordable Housing. He discusses various eviction prevention strategies and draws some comparisons between what’s at stake in the community housing sector versus the private sector when it comes to being evicted. He also breaks down the six major challenges the community housing sector faces, coined as the “areas of inquiry.” Join their discussion as Damian iterates the importance of housing not only for those in need but in the development of society at large.
A radical advocate for basic income in Canada, Evelyn Forget believes that the measure should be implemented not only because the best evidence supports it, but simply because it is the right thing to do.
Dr. Lindsay Tedds, member of the BC Expert Panel on Basic Income, is one of the sharpest policy minds in Canada right now.
Informed by years of intensive research on long-term care, Dr. Tamara Sussman identifies the areas where policy doesn’t meet practice and, more importantly, the areas where policies prevent practice from being in line with stated values.
Providing housing for the elderly is one of those issues that cannot be properly addressed without cross-sectoral partnerships. The Aging In The Right Place Study looks at the challenges of older adults to not only age in place but age in the right place.
Passionate about income security and housing, Dr. Jim Dunn steps out of the academia and looks out for ways to get academic evidence into the hands of policymakers who can use it to make a difference.
Robbie Brydon likes numbers. Whether evaluating policy outcomes, optimizing program investments, or attempting to gauge outcomes ahead of the Decision Desk on election night, he is a numbers nerd. Currently leading the Income Security and Health Initiative at the McMaster Institute for Health Equity, Robbie previously coordinated the Ontario Basic Income Pilot evaluation and managed quantitative research for the organization in charge of the plan to end homeless in Edmonton. If one were to judge by his three-year-old’s obsession with counting, the love of numbers may be heritable. But this is not a podcast where we accept conclusions from a study with one participant.
Cynthia Belaskie is Managing Director of the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative, but she is not an expert in housing. She isn’t even an academic. She almost became a historian once but came to her senses. Cynthia has worked with some of the best Canadian scholars designing truly ground-breaking projects (sometimes literally groundbreaking… hello Archeologists!). She’s excited by new ideas and passionate about making sure that society puts academic research to good use. She spends her time building relationships and moving evidence into action.