Buyers and sellers throughout Canada have long struggled to afford owning or renting a home, not just in the country’s major municipal centers, but just about everywhere. It’s become so wretched that every month invites a macabre look at just how high prices can go, and just how absurd and exploitative the housing struggle can get.

Things have reached a point where Canada’s housing market has transcended the realm of satire. Renters now face a situation so dire that it defies comedic exaggeration. Exhibit A is a recent listing for half a bed in Toronto — for $900 a month.

The listing is so wild that it strains credulity. Indeed, it was removed from Facebook Marketplace after stories documenting the shared-bed offer hit the newsfeeds. One realtor told CTV News she’d never seen such a thing. It’s unlikely many people have. But the absurdity of the listing itself, an anomaly even in Canada’s broken housing market, speaks to the broader issue of just how pushed housing-seekers throughout the country are. It serves as a stark reminder of just how dire the situation has become — particularly for low earners or those who are otherwise vulnerable.