Concept of a house and question mark
Is Canada in a housing bubble? We posed that question this week in the Great Debate, a new Globe Investor series we're hoping will become a model for discussions about the big issues facing Globe and Mail readers.
All week, our two debaters, David Madani, Canadian economist at Capital Economics, and Helmut Pastrick, chief economist for Central Credit Union 1, have been making their arguments and rebuttals.
Today, they face off in a final online debate at noon (ET).
So far, the debate has been lively. Here's what some of our readers have had to say:
"As long as mortgage rates stay low, and there is nothing on the horizon to suggest that this wouldn't be the case for many more years, the market wouldn't crash." –Dan_Theman
"The housing sector is a ticking time bomb. Interest rates cannot stay low forever." – Business Genius
"If you are of the opinion Canada is solely made up of Toronto and Vancouver, then yes, 'Canada' is in a bubble. However, in every other regard, we are not in the same situation as the much-compared U.S. housing bubble." – Clint MacNichol
Readers are central to the Great Debate. In fact, they get the final say. After today's debate, we'll be asking readers to vote for a winner.
To read more comments and cast your vote, go to the Great Debate homepage.
And if you have an idea for our next Great Debate, send it to businesscommunity@globeandmail.com.
Dianne Nice