MEDIA ADVISORY For Immediate Release May 16, 2017 Immigrant seniors experience worse health than non-immigrant seniors in the GTA, new study TORONTO – A new study by Wellesley Institute says that there are significant differences in self-reported health and mental health for immigrant, racialized and non-English mother tongue seniors in the GTA. The study also […]
Archives for 2017
What’s bad for our neighbour is bad for us
Prescribing action on the social determinants of health for a healthier democracy By Anjum Sultana & Nazeefah Laher Recent elections in France, the Netherlands, and our neighbour to the south, the United States, have dominated the headlines for the last 12 months. Some Canadians think that the political division we see in the U.S. and […]
CEO Dr. Kwame McKenzie appointed to Expert Panel on Medical Assistance in Dying
The Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) has announced the appointment of the Expert Panel on Medical Assistance in Dying. This panel is chaired by the Honourable Marie Deschamps, C.C., Ad. E., former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and Adjunct Professor at McGill University and Université de Sherbrooke. Wellesley Institute CEO Dr. Kwame McKenzie will chair the Working […]
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Making childcare truly affordable will leave no family behind
If you’re planning to have a child in Toronto you should start saving for childcare right away. The cost of daycare for infants is on average $1649 per month. With the median household income of Toronto families at about $75,000 per year that would amount to over 25 percent of their income for a single […]
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Housing in the 2017 Federal Budget: The Broad Picture
The federal budget is being lauded for painting some broad strokes of the National Housing Strategy and putting dollars to it. The government is showing how it will deliver on its election platform and on the 2016 housing consultations. So how much fuel and capacity are inside this shiny new vehicle? Because funding shifts with […]
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“Diversity Our Strength:” A motto for a healthy, “we” society
In recent weeks across the continent we have seen vividly illustrated both the cracks in our social cohesion and also increased capacity for resilience through civic engagement. We watched with horror the images of travellers from Muslim-majority countries detained at airports, and now the unveiling of a new travel ban. We heard with sorrow the grief […]
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Ensuring healthy housing: is enforcement enough?
Leaky pipes, faulty wiring and cockroach infestations are a stark reality of day-to-day life for thousands of Toronto’s renters. Hazards like these lead to a range of negative health outcomes, including asthma, injuries and anxiety. For over a decade, housing advocates have sounded the alarm on the unhealthy and sometimes shocking conditions of many apartment buildings. […]
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Five Good Ideas to Decrease Workplace Stress
Maytree is trying to help the non-profit sector thrive in these changing times. They asked me as a psychiatrist and CEO of Wellesley Institute, a policy think tank, to give my Five Good Ideas to decrease employee stress. I hope you find them useful. Stress can be brought about by factors at home and factors […]
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Welcome Steps on Supportive Housing and Mental Health
By Kwame McKenzie and Greg Suttor The Ontario government today announced new funding for supportive housing. Making the announcement, Eric Hoskins, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, noted that mental health matters for everyone, and that this is an integral part of health care. Besides supportive housing, the announcements included a new structured psychotherapy […]
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Housing and housing benefits are necessary social infrastructure
The need for housing has significant social consequences. The way we build and pay for housing can create mixed or divided cities, may lead to good or poor health, and looms large in daily life. Housing choices and costs shape our neighbourhoods, our daily commute to work, and how much money we have left after paying […]
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