I have several thoughts regarding President Obama’s speech to the joint session of Congress: (1) As John King stated on CNN afterwards, “the man can certainly give a speech.” Obama’s delivery and presentation were outstanding throughout his 45 minute presentation. Obama was clear, articulate, compassionate when he needed to be and appropriately defiant when confronting […]
Archives for September 2009
WI hosts APA pre-conference
The Wellesley Institute hosted the 117th American Psychological Association pre-conference workshop on August 5th. The day was action-packed, informative and fun, combining historical tours of Black Creek/Jane-Finch and St James Town communities with presentations
The Power Study – Women’s Health Report
The POWER Study (Project for an Ontario Women’s Health Evidence-based Report) is producing a Women’s Health Report to serve as an evidence-based tool for policy makers, providers, and consumers in their efforts to improve health and reduce health inequities among Ontario women.
Social finance 101: Canada Day at SOCAP09
How to get money and other resources into the hands of vital community services (affordable housing, health and community services, and so on) to enable them to get their good work done… that’s the big challenge addressed during Canada Day at SOCAP09 (the annual Social Capital Markets conference that draws hundreds of leading social entrepreneurs […]
Right to the city: what can we learn from Chile’s social housing approach?
Chile’s “social housing” approach since the late 1970s allowed hundreds of thousands of poor families to become home owners, and strengthened construction activity in the national economy. However, the low-cost and low-quality housing that was produced has increased socio-spatial discrimination,
Continue ReadingRight to the city: what can we learn from Chile’s social housing approach?
Pandemic flu planning and social vulnerabilities
Pandemic flu planning efforts need to take into account the realities of individuals’ lives and the social contexts in which they live if they are to succeed, cites Anna C. Mastroianni, in the article “Slipping through the Net: Social Vulnerability in Pandemic Planning “, from the Hastings Center. In this article, she talks about the […]
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News flash: Three of four parties in Canada's Parliament back national housing plan
Three of Canada’s four political parties in Parliament – a very solid majority – have backed draft legislation to create a long-overdue and much-needed national housing plan. MP Libby Davies (NDP) has introduced Bill C-304, a private member’s bill that would incorporate Canada’s international housing rights obligations into Canadian law. Members of Parliament from the […]
Continue ReadingNews flash: Three of four parties in Canada's Parliament back national housing plan
Exciting news: Bill to create national housing plan passes second reading in House of Commons today
Bill C-304, An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians, just passed second reading in the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon and is going to committee for review and possible amendment. This is exciting news – and credit both to MP Libby Davies, who sponsored the legislation, and the many […]
Every Door is the Right Door: Mental Health Disparities in Ontario
Mental health outcomes are distributed unequally in different populations in Ontario: low-income women are three times as likely as higher income women to report their mental health as poor or fair low-income men are five times as likely as higher income men to report their mental health as poor or fair
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Day two of SOCAP09: Intersection of money, meaning and message
Day two of SOCAP09 was filled with plenaries, workshops and lots of wonderful, often serendipitous encounters with people doing amazing work in United States and around the world. (I am recovering from a bad cold, and managed to avoid going ‘viral’ on my fellow attendees in San Francisco). Full details about SOCAP09, including video and […]
Continue ReadingDay two of SOCAP09: Intersection of money, meaning and message