Martine August – The Conversation

Condo towers dot the Toronto skyline as a pedestrian makes his way through the winter landscape in January 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

May 20, 2025

Financial firms are driving up rent in Toronto — and targeting the most vulnerable tenants

Cloé St-Hilaire, University of Waterloo and Martine August, University of Waterloo

A new study reveals financial landlords charge the highest rents in Toronto.

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem holds a news conference at the Bank of Canada in July 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

September 28, 2023

Interest rates: Monetary policy is always political as central banks opt to back the financial sector

Dan Cohen, Queen's University, Ontario; Emily Rosenman, Penn State, and Martine August, University of Waterloo

Why is monetary policy outside the realm of politics? What are the social ramifications of our current monetary policy system? What alternatives exist?

Participants attend a vigil for COVID-19 victims at the Orchard Villa long-term care home in Pickering, Ont. in June 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

July 26, 2020

The coronavirus exposes the perils of profit in seniors’ housing

Martine August, University of Waterloo

COVID-19 has shown that what’s known as financialization in seniors housing has intensified the profit-seeking approach of private owners, with harmful outcomes for residents and workers alike.

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