Canada's housing market has become hostile territory for single people. Recent surveys show nearly 60% of Canadians fear losing their homes due to financial strain, a precarity most acute for those flying solo. The old affordability benchmark—spending 30% of net income on housing—now looks like a fantasy for many individuals across the country.

The standard 30% guideline originated from OECD recommendations in the 1980s, but history reveals it has steadily crept up from an earlier 20% benchmark. Policy experts note that postwar housing strategies, like the 1944 Curtis Report, initially favored a mixed-market approach including nonprofit and regulated rental units. Instead, governments bet on home ownership as a wealth-building vehicle.

This strategy assumes homes double as pension funds, a concept that ignores longer lifespans and modern family structures. Demographics have shifted dramatically, yet housing policy remains stuck on outdated mid-century ideals of marriage, children, and predictable retirements. Single households, divorcees, and non-traditional families are left navigating a system designed for a nuclear family that rarely exists anymore.

Even homeowners aren't immune to the crisis. The author, who bought a Toronto condo in 2009, admits her security is largely due to luck and timing rather than financial planning. Now, she is priced out of her own neighborhood and faces the prospect of her building being sold to developers. For singles, renting or buying offers little stability.