Supply management will be sacrificed to appease Trump, and the Netflix takeover is bad for Hollywood: The Hub predicts 2026

Polish off your crystal balls, consult the stars, call up the scryer in your life—2025 is creeping to a close, and it’s time to turn our attention to what’s to come in 2026. But if the future still feels fuzzy, don’t panic: The Hub has you covered. Once again, our best prognosticators are here to provide some foolproof predictions for the headlines and happenings ahead. Trade negotiations will be fine, but our housing crisis will continue By Eric Lombardi, founder and president of More Neighbours Toronto 1. CUSMA renegotiations will be calmer than expected, with dairy as the price CUSMA renegotiations in 2026 will proceed more smoothly than feared. Canada will make significant concessions on dairy supply management in exchange for stability and continued access to the U.S. market. 2. Housing pressures will ease in 2026, encouraging political complacency Flat population growth and completions from earlier housing starts will provide short-term relief in housing and rental markets. This easing will reduce political urgency, delaying necessary structural reforms. 3. Ontario will waffle on key housing reforms, setting up the next housing shock Ontario will stall on two critical reforms: reducing municipal development charges and modernizing the building code. Continued limits on single-egress buildings, elevator standards, and fire access will constrain supply, setting up another housing whiplash cycle in 2029-30 as starts fall. 4. The Major Projects Office will lose credibility as it comes to be seen as a political exercise The Major Projects Office will fail to overcome entrenched political and regulatory barriers. As delivery falters, it will increasingly be viewed as a signalling exercise rather than a mechanism for execution. 5. The Toronto mayoral race will defy conventional wisdom The 2026 Toronto mayoral election will be shaped by elite assumptions about candidates and voter turnout. These assumptions will misread voter frustration with service delivery, public safety, and housing, producing an unexpected outcome. Korea wins the subs sweepstakes, and the politicization of pop culture continues By Alisha Rao, The Hub’s content coordinator 1. Korea wins the sub-off It is expected early next year that the federal government will make a decision on whether we proceed with South Korea’s KSS-III (Batch 2) diesel-electric submarine from Hanwha Ocean Ltd., or Germany’s Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems submarines. Countries like South Korea and Japan are focusing on the importance of bolstering defence (and in that region, I would argue the naval threat of countries like China probably poses some stress). I envision Canada choosing the South Korean submarines to replace our Victoria-class submarines. While the choice boils down to who offers the best deal, I am predicting Hanwha will pull ahead. Either way, we need new submarines. 2. Carney will continue to pursue a reset in Canada-India relations There have been stirrings since Modi and Carney met in Kananaskis that, while there appears to be a move towards resetting diplomatic relations between India and Canada, Sikh Canadians (including separatists who believe in the creation of Khalistan in India) feel they are vulnerable. In October, I wrote that “We are no longer in an era where shared values alone are enough—in this world, shared interests are the new ball game.” Given how complicated our relationship is with India, I believe that while Carney will balance the concerns of the diaspora at home with Canada’s economic interests, ultimately, he will continue to pursue trade with India. His potential “reset” with China also indicates what he is prioritizing. 3. Love is blind…and maybe politicized? The next season of Love is Blind, U.S., will be more politically charged than this year. In 2025, we had two seasons of Love is Blind, U.S. (one ran during February, the other in October). The February season, set in Minneapolis, saw one couple in particular (Sara and Ben) having to confront different political stances; she ultimately said no at the altar based on what she described as differing values. The filming for this would have been around the time of the U.S. election—but so much has happened since then. Maybe I will be wrong, and the next season will be more like the October season in Denver (a very chaotic season that was distanced from politics). But I don’t think Sara and Ben are the only couple that will face those issues of values and differing political views as the new year begins. 4. Netflix acquiring Warner Bros. would be troubling news If Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. goes through, I would be very curious about what happens to all the media that appears on the platform. The mentality behind subscribing to different streaming services (which itself is its own issue) is for the variety of content. HBO has House of the Dragon, and Netflix has Stranger Things. I have already seen swirling online that there is concern about the quality of HBO content going down due to the low perception of Netflix’s own production quality. Squid Games and Stranger Things are shows I like, but (in my opinion) I think the quality of those shows declined as they gained more seasons. Shows like these two (especially when they each had their first season premiere) and movies like KPop Demon Hunters demonstrate that the streaming service has some giants, but there is still space to approach this potential merger with trepidation. Other streaming platforms are not necessarily innocent of this either, but Netflix has a track record for not giving shows a chance to shine, and cancelling well-performing shows for nebulous reasons (while remarkably, shows like Riverdale can run as long as seven seasons). In an age where everything is remade, rebooted, remastered, or gets a sequel, it is a concerning possibility that the quality and originality of the content we consume will go down if one streaming service is able to lord over the media landscape.