New Podcast Spotlights Innovative Housing Solutions in Canada’s Rural, Remote, and Indigenous Communities

TORONTO, Oct. 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canada’s housing crisis is measured in millions of missing homes, but the sharpest pain is felt in the smallest communities. A powerful new podcast, Can I Stay? Rural, Remote, and Ready to Build, shifts the lens from national housing stats to community-led innovation, highlighting how rural, remote, and Indigenous leaders—and the organizations working alongside them—are building affordable, sustainable housing futures.

Produced with support from Foresight Canada and with funding from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the season is hosted by Lindsay Blair (President, Rural Impact Canada) and Candace Larsen (Executive Director, One Bowl Housing Corporation). From system-wide barriers to grassroots solutions, the podcast follows their journey as leaders and competitors in the $300M CMHC Housing Supply Challenge.

Each episode goes straight to the source, featuring first-hand accounts from those on the front lines of the housing crisis alongside expert perspectives. Guests include Louise Fragnito (Chief Administrative Officer, Township of Frontenac), Chelsie Parayko (Housing Manager, Missanabie Cree First Nation), and Cheryl Fort (Mayor, Hornepayne, Ontario). Together, their stories demonstrate that innovative financing and community-led approaches are essential to solving Canada's national housing deficit.

“We strongly believe that rural, remote, and indigenous communities are key to solving the housing crisis,” says Lindsay, President of Rural Impact. “We know that municipalities and communities want to support housing, it is not a question as to whether or not housing is a priority—it is. The question, which our programs and services answer, is how do we implement proven solutions to create the environment to get more housing built. That is what we do.”

The first two episodes are now available:

• Episode 1: Can I Stay, or Do I Need to Go?
  
  In the opening episode, Lindsay and Candace set the stage: what’s really at stake in the housing crisis? Meet Stephanie Corrin, a single mom in rural Ontario, and David Flood, General Manager of Wahkohtowin Development, as they share first-hand experiences of rising rents, housing shortages, and community struggles. The season-long journey through the CMHC Housing Supply Challenge begins.

• Episode 2: Zooming Out: System-Level Challenges
  
  Canada has access to the land, money, and resources but systemic roadblocks stand in the way of housing solutions. Lindsay and Candace unpack “drag-and-drop” homes, “ghost land,” and the red tape that slows progress. Guests include Albalina Metatawabin (Mushkegowuk Development Corporation) and Louise Fragnito (Township of Frontenac), who reveal what it’s like to confront these barriers on the ground.

Can I Stay? Rural, Remote, and Ready to Build is available wherever you get your podcasts. Listen now.

About Rural Impact

Rural Impact Canada focuses on unlocking development potential in small and rural municipalities by creating programs and providing services that address municipal challenges and barriers such as water and wastewater infrastructure. Their programs, including the Municipal Services Corporation (MSC) and Decentralized Housing Development (DHD) models, provide step-by-step guidance to implement proven solutions, drastically reducing the time and cost for implementation and creating the municipal environment to support new housing projects.

About One Bowl

One Bowl Housing Corporation, a First Nations-governed social enterprise, is driving an Indigenous-led ”Tree to Home” solution. This approach uses locally sourced materials and Thermolog technology to build high-quality, culturally appropriate, and climate-resilient modular homes at a cost significantly lower than conventional remote construction. Crucially, they focus on capacity building by providing on-site training to community members, creating local employment and self-sufficiency.

About Foresight Canada

​​Foresight Canada helps the world do more with less, sustainably. As Canada's largest cleantech innovation and adoption accelerator, they connect public and private sectors to the world’s best clean technologies, de-risking and simplifying the adoption of innovative solutions that improve productivity, profitability, and economic competitiveness, all while addressing today’s most urgent climate challenges.

This podcast was made possible with support from Foresight Canada and funding from CMHC to support the Level-Up Round of the Housing Supply Challenge. However, Rural Impact Canada and One Bowl bear sole responsibility for the accuracy and appropriateness of this publication. CMHC accepts no responsibility for the content, interpretations, conclusions, or opinions expressed in this publication or other materials resulting from the supported work.

Contact:
Heather Kingdon
Manager, Communications
hkingdon@foresightcac.com

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