Go figure. Despite having endured a building boom that has lasted three decades and changed the face of urban Canada, we now face the worst housing crisis in the country’s history. Finding a place to live, let alone affording one, is a national obsession. From coast to coast, Canadians are fed up and stressed out. Trying to explain this contradiction has preoccupied politicians, pundits and professionals for years, to no avail. Yes, interest rates play a role, as does inflation.