Housing wealth
Many older home owners have reaped big financial gains from rising home prices, thanks to the good timing of having bought into the housing market decades ago. But the same rising prices that boost wealth for older demographics are crushing affordability for younger people. Some older Canadians may use additional wealth to support their kids (or grandkids) dreams of home ownership by contributing to down payments or mortgages. While individually warm and fuzzy, such admirable acts of intergenerational solidarity do nothing to challenge systemic inequity at the heart of the housing crisis.