Canada's housing bubble: A rhetorical analysis

The recent (2009) housing market collapse in the United States, as a result of the sub-prime mortgage crisis, is well known and documented. Canada, while closely linked to the United States economically, remained somewhat protected although it, too, experienced a housing bubble. Investment services company Edward Jones issued a report on the housing bubble, warning real estate investors to prepare for the possible impact of a housing economic downturn. While Edward Jones was not the first to warn of a possible housing bubble collapse, since being made public on 27 August 2010 the report is one of the most widely cited in the popular press. This paper looks at targeted economic information communication through the lens of the Edward Jones report, and will be of particular interest to those professional communicators and others involved in developing, and communicating, sustainable economic policy.