How do you know when it’s time to make your next big career move? With International Women’s Day around the corner, we are excited to feature Avni Patel Thompson, Founder and CEO of Milo. Avni is building technology that directly supports the often overlooked emotional and logistical labor that falls on parents—especially women. Milo is an AI assistant designed to help families manage that invisible load more efficiently. In this episode, Avni shares her journey from studying chemistry to holding leadership roles at global brands like Adidas and Starbucks, to launching her own ventures. She discusses how she approaches career transitions, the importance of unpleasant experiences, and why she’s focused on making everyday life easier for parents. [01:26] Avni's University Days and Early Career [04:36] Non-Linear Career Paths [05:16] Pursuing Steep Learning Curves [11:51] Entrepreneurship and Safety Nets [15:22] Lived Experiences and Milo [19:55] Avni’s In Her Ellement Moment [20:03] Reflections Links: Avni Patel Thompson on LinkedIn Suchi Srinivasan on LinkedIn Kamila Rakhimova on LinkedIn Ipsos report on the future of parenting About In Her Ellement: In Her Ellement highlights the women and allies leading the charge in digital, business, and technology innovation. Through engaging conversations, the podcast explores their journeys—celebrating successes and acknowledging the balance between work and family. Most importantly, it asks: when was the moment you realized you hadn’t just arrived—you were truly in your element? About The Hosts: Suchi Srinivasan is an expert in AI and digital transformation. Originally from India, her career includes roles at trailblazing organizations like Bell Labs and Microsoft. In 2011, she co-founded the Cleanweb Hackathon, a global initiative driving IT-powered climate solutions with over 10,000 members across 25+ countries. She also advises Women in Cloud, aiming to create $1B in economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs by 2030. Kamila Rakhimova is a fintech leader whose journey took her from Tajikistan to the U.S., where she built a career on her own terms. Leveraging her English proficiency and international relations expertise, she discovered the power of microfinance and moved to the U.S., eventually leading Amazon's Alexa Fund to support underrepresented founders. Subscribe to In Her Ellement on your podcast app of choice to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, business, and technology.…

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Fixing up housing policy - from research to reality
Jim Dunn and Cynthia Belaskie, CHEC - Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative
Housing policy is a mess in Canada. Here's how to fix it: Take all the best housing research, crunch the numbers, and translate that research into reality. This conversation is for researchers, students, and everyone who wants to make housing more affordable for more people. Jim Dunn is the Director of the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative. Cynthia Belaskie is a managing director at McMaster University. Listen as they talk to experts and explore data-based solutions to our housing cris ...
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"After a hospital stay, the senior would be evicted" - Sarah Canham
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31:46Dr. Sarah Canham is an Associate Professor in the College of Social Work at The University of Utah, and an Adjunct Professor in Simon Fraser University’s Department of Gerontology. Jim Dunn is the Director of the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative (CHEC). Cynthia Belaskie is a managing director at McMaster University. Like what you're hearing?…
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Julia Christensen - "Where's the communal freezer that stores country food?"
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42:22Julia Christensen is Associate Professor in Geography and Planning at Queen's University. She’s the Canada Research Chair in Northern Governance and Public Policy. Her research project, At Home in the North: New Partners in Northern Housing and Homes is under the umbrella of CHEC. Jim Dunn is the Director of the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborat…
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Jim Dunn - "Out of the problem space and into the solution space"
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47:20Jim Dunn is the Director of the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative. Dr. Damian Collins is a Professor of Human Geography at the University of Alberta. He is the Director of the Community Housing Canada Research Partnership, which sits within the Collaborative Housing Research Network. Cynthia Belaskie is a managing director at McMaster Univers…
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Damian Collins - "What motivates me is the human right to housing"
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35:21Dr. Damian Collins is a Professor of Human Geography at the University of Alberta. He is the Director of the Community Housing Canada Research Partnership, which sits within the Collaborative Housing Research Network. Jim Dunn is the Director of the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative. Cynthia Belaskie is a managing director at McMaster Univers…
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Dr. Catherine Leviten-Reid: We regulate childcare and LTC, why not housing?
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41:30Dr. Catherine Leviten-Reid is an Associate Professor in the MBA in the Community Economic Development program at Cape Breton University. She is a CHEC Node leader researching the effects of different types of affordable housing on vulnerable populations. Jim Dunn is the Director of the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative. Cynthia Belaskie is a …
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Alexandra Flynn: housing and justice are completely intertwined
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27:45Alexandra Flynn an Assistant Professor at UBC's Allard School of Law. She is the principal investigator of CHEC’s Balanced Supply of Housing Node. She is the Director of the Housing Research Collaborative, which comprises CMHC and SSHRC-funded projects focused on Canada’s housing crisis. Read more about her research. Jim Dunn is the Director of the…
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Justin Lewis says we need to look at everything
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46:24Read the City of Hamilton’s Housing Sustainability and Investment Roadmap. Jim Dunn is the Director of the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative. Cynthia Belaskie is a managing director at McMaster University. Like what you're hearing? Subscribe, rate, review, and share. Learn more about fixing Canadian housing policy at: chec_ccrl.ca | Safe, aff…
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The 15% solution - Heather Tremain and Options for Homes
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35:30Learn more about Options for Homes. Jim Dunn is the Director of the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative. Cynthia Belaskie is a managing director at McMaster University. Like what you're hearing? Subscribe, rate, review, and share. Learn more about fixing Canadian housing policy at: chec_ccrl.ca | Safe, affordable, and appropriate housing for al…
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Even the big banks say we need more affordable housing
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33:29Here’s a link to Rebecca Young's report: Canadian Housing Affordability Hurts | Post (scotiabank.com) She also released a report on seniors and aging at home: Rethinking Retirement in an Age of Longevity | Post (scotiabank.com) Jim Dunn is the Director of the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative. Cynthia Belaskie is a managing director at McMast…
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Why land should be communal property
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36:06Learn more about the innovative thinking that comes out of Alastair Parvin's Open Systems lab. This season of Fixing up housing policy - From Research to Reality is all about concrete research-based solutions to the housing crisis. Jim Dunn is the Director of the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative. Cynthia Belaskie is a managing director at Mc…
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Leilani Farha on housing as a human right
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34:42Leilani Farha is the Global Director of The Shift, a nonprofit that focuses on the human right to housing. Between 2014 and 2020, she was the United Nations special rapporteur on adequate housing. Leilani shares her ideas on financialization, the right to housing, and homelessness. Jim Dunn is the Director of the Canadian Housing Evidence Collabora…
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Hosts Jim Dunn and Cynthia Belaskie are back. This season features big thinkers sharing their visionary ideas on how to fix our housing crisis. First episode is dropping Wednesday!Jim Dunn and Cynthia Belaskie által
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S2: E4 Why do we have to move to afford a home?
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46:59What is unaffordability migration? How has it affected cities and towns across Canada? And most importantly, how do we fix it? Hosts Jim Dunn and Cynthia Belaskie look at evidence-based solutions to the "drive 'til you qualify" phenomenon. This episode's experts: Penny Gurstein, Nemoy Lewis, Alix McLean, Mike Moffatt Love the show? Subscribe, rate,…
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S2: E3 How can we make homes affordable for first-time buyers?
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51:34What can we do to make homes more affordable for first-time buyers.? Hosts Jim Dunn and Cynthia Belaskie talk about the challenges of buying your first home and some potential solutions. Our experts today: Mohamad Bsat, Penny Gurstein, Paul Kershaw, and Alix Mclean. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Learn more about fixing Canadian…
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S2: E2 Should housing be a profit centre for big business?
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43:15Hosts Jim Dunn and Cynthia Belaskie explore financialization: how housing is a huge corporate money maker and what that means for us as renters and homeowners. Today's experts: Mohamad Bsat, Penny Gurstein, Nemoy Lewis. Jim Dunn is the Director of the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative. Cynthia Belaskie is a managing director at McMaster Unive…
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S2: E1 How did we get into this mess?
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35:06Buying a first home is way harder than ever before. Finding a decent affordable rental is beyond so many people's reach. In our Season Two opener, hosts Jim Dunn and Cynthia Belaskie explore how Canada got into this housing policy mess, and what we can do to scratch and claw our way out of it. Today's experts: Mike Moffat, Steve Pomeroy, Paul Kersh…
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Does Evidence Influence Policy? With Molly Harrington and Norm Helfand
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48:58To what extent does evidence actually influence public policy? We answer that question and more as Cynthia Belaskie, Robbie Brydon and special guest host Jim Dunn talk to Molly Harrington, former Assistant Deputy Minister with the BC government, and Norm Helfand, former Director of Income Security Policy with the Ontario government. They talk about…
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Making Rent Control Work
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41:30Prince Edward Island, unlike other provinces, has unit-based rent control, with rent being tied to the units instead of the tenant. However, there is no formal mechanism to know what rent was paid by a previous tenant, despite a provincial bill passed to establish one in 2019. Join Cynthia Belaskie and Robbie Brydon as they talk to Darcie Lanthier,…
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LGBTQ2 Vulnerability In Housing With Kenna McDowell
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36:53How do we solve the issue of LGBTQ2 vulnerability in housing? In this episode, Cynthia Belaskie and Robbie Brydon's guest is Kenna McDowell, a graduate student in the Human Geography program at the University of Alberta. Kenna explains that expanding the social and affordable housing sector could solve so many issues that queer people experience. E…
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Preventing Evictions in Community Housing With Damian Collins
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42:04One of the main goals of community housing is to provide more affordable homes for those in need and, ultimately, to help them keep those homes. But what happens when people struggle to maintain tenancy in the community housing sector? In today’s episode, Cynthia Belaskie and Robbie Brydon are joined by Dr. Damian Collins of the University of Alber…
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The Argument For Basic Income With Evelyn Forget
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36:53Canada had a basic income pilot before Ontario. Evelyn Forget’s research on the 1970s Mincome basic income experiment in Manitoba showed that hospital admissions declined and children were more likely to finish high school. Her latest work explores the lives of people who access government supports and frontline service providers. Evelyn is a profe…
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What Can We Learn from the BC Basic Income Panel? With Lindsay Tedds
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34:38The BC Expert Panel on Basic Income did not recommend a broad basic income for that province, but did recommend three targeted basic incomes (for people with disabilities, youth aging out of care and renters). Dr. Lindsay Tedds, one of the members of the panel, joins Robbie Brydon and Cynthia Belaskie to discuss what they recommended, why they reco…
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The Challenges Of Moving Into Long-Term Care With Dr. Tamara Sussman
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36:51Long-term care is not an easy thing to process whether it be for the patient or the family. It can be stressful because you need to think about the relocation to a new environment, the expensive price tag on long-term care services, and most importantly, the needs of the patient. Diving deeper into this topic, Cynthia Belaskie and Robbie Brydon sit…
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Aging In The Right Place With Sarah Canham, PhD
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37:14Providing housing for the elderly is one of those issues that cannot be properly addressed without cross-sectoral partnerships. The Aging In The Right Place Study looks at the challenges of older adults to not only age in place but age in the right place. Today's guest is Dr. Sarah Canham, Project Director for the Aging In The Right Place Partnersh…
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Episode Zero: The Best Evidence for a Better World
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20:35Cynthia Belaskie and Robbie Brydon share what the show is all about: the messy place where evidence meets policy in income security and housing. Dr. Jim Dunn, Director of the McMaster Institute for Health Equity and the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative, joins them to talk about the origin of the show and some of the cases he has encountered …
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