In an editorial in The Toronto Star online, Wellesley Institute’s Rick Blickstead looks at the health implications of the proposed service cuts at the City of Toronto and advises readers that cuts come with a price that must be considered. As we build the future of the city, Torontonians need to think about the kind […]
Archives for July 2011
We’re all about health equity… to the back teeth
Over the past couple of weeks we’ve seen a lot of discussion around Toronto about the value of a range of services that the City provides and how we should pay for them. As an organization dedicated to advancing urban health, the Wellesley Institute is always interested in participating in these types of discussions about […]
Continue ReadingWe’re all about health equity… to the back teeth
Rushed Policy Process Leaves No Opportunity For Due Diligence
While we understand the City’s fiscal pressures, the Wellesley Institute has concerns about the compressed nature of this year’s budget cycle. Typically, the City budget process continues at least through the fall, allowing the City to more effectively dovetail its budget deliberations with those of the federal and provincial levels of government. This new timeframe […]
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Gutting Toronto’s Affordable Housing Office undercuts ‘housing first’ approach to ending homelessness
While Toronto’s Core Services Review report recognizes the value to individuals and the City of Toronto in a housing-first approach to homelessness, that same review undercuts the ability of the City of Toronto to implement a housing-first approach by potentially gutting affordable housing initiatives and perhaps even shutting down the entire Affordable Housing Office.
Poverty is major health risk: Primary health care providers need to take action
Primary health care providers should take “significant action on poverty as a health risk, while simultaneously working toward higher level systemic changes to reduce the impact of poverty on health” – that’s one of the conclusions of a new qualitative study on poverty and health in the latest edition of the peer-reviewed BMC Family Practice […]
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Just imagine: A city that ‘lifts the lives of all’
Fairness, opportunity and equity can serve as the defining feature in a new era of urbanization. The Just City is an amazing video from the Ford Foundation that welcomed attendees to its 75th anniversary event. The Wellesley Institute works to advance population health and equity throughout the Greater Toronto Area. The compelling vision in this […]
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The Impact of Climate Change: Through a Health Equity Lens
One of Wellesley’s themes is that the complex and inter-dependent nature of the social determinants of health require comprehensive policy and community responses. Illustrating this, I spoke recently at a conference on how climate change adaptation policy has to take account of health equity.
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Housing first to end homelessness, but first Toronto needs homes
A good and healthy home, with proper supports, is better than a bed in a homeless shelter. That’s the main observation in the City of Toronto’s Core Service Review of homeless and support services by KPMG consultants. The Wellesley Institute fully supports a measured process that allows people to move from homelessness to home, and […]
Continue ReadingHousing first to end homelessness, but first Toronto needs homes
Multicultural Youth Voices: An Introduction to St. James Town, Toronto
The Introduction to St. James Town video is an extension of the Photovoice project, Multicultural Youth Voices. Filmed by three youths from St. James Town and featuring commentary by some of the research participants, this video reflects the opinions and experiences of newcomer youth in St. James Town. The footage was edited by a SJT Initiative intern, […]
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Killer heat is triggering premature deaths; Toronto can take action
The City of Toronto and its agencies, boards and commissions, have taken significant actions against the deadly heat this summer, but a number of these initiatives are threatened by the current round of proposed cuts being considered by Toronto City Council. Toronto, and much of Canada, is suffering through record-breaking heat and humidity. Extreme heat is […]
Continue ReadingKiller heat is triggering premature deaths; Toronto can take action