The World Health Organization’s Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) has sparked broad interest in tackling persistent and widening health inequities by addressing the social and economic inequality, precarious employment, poverty, inadequate housing, social exclusion and other fundamental factors that underlie these health inequities. This month, the WHO is sponsoring a global conference […]
Archives for October 2011
Canada, show up for health at the World Conference on SDoH
The World Conference on Social Determinants of Health is a very important global forum and the Wellesley Institute has contributed in a modest, but important way, to some of the documentation that forms a base for this event. More than 60 Ministers of Health and other senior Ministers are already scheduled to attend the conference, […]
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Homes For Toronto: Presentation On What We Can Learn From Our History
The history of housing in Toronto – and Canada – has been a series of ups and downs. We’ve had many successes, but we’ve also had periods of drought, when precarious housing and homelessness has grown worse. Michael Shapcott, the Wellesley Institute’s Director of Housing and Innovation, scanned the past century in a presentation to […]
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Tiny financial savings from cutting Toronto community grants comes with big potential cost
While the financial savings to taxpayers from cutting any or all of the City of Toronto’s grants to community groups is very small, the impact of the loss of that funding would be widespread. Recent research from the Wellesley Institute shows that strong and resilient community networks have a positive impact on individual and population […]
Health Equity and the Occupy Movements
With Occupy movements, born out of Occupy Wall Street, happening in Canada and around the world, social and economic inequality are on the agenda. More and better jobs, more equitable distribution of wealth, and greater corporate responsibility and accountability are important goals, and the Occupy movements have made great progress in making these issues mainstream. […]
Time for adult conversation about housing and homelessness indicators and measures
Canada is behind other countries in measuring the many dimensions of homelessness and precarious housing. This means it’s almost impossible to assess the scale of need, the appropriate resources that are required and to evaluate the impact of policy interventions. The Wellesley Institute commissioned housing policy expert Steve Pomeroy to start this critical conversation. Download: […]
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Is your life 31 percent better than it was in 1994? Analyzing the Canadian Index of Well-Being
Since the 1940s, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been the primary measure for how economies are performing. The trouble is that GDP is a blunt instrument. GDP is a composite index that tells us only how much an economy is producing – it is concerned only with growth and not the differences between good and […]
It takes a province to end homelessness: Presentation notes
Yesterday I delivered the keynote presentation to the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing and Homelessness Network conference at Port Blandford on Oct. 26. In my presentation, I warned that the ongoing erosion of federal housing investments will cut vital funding that local groups across Newfoundland and Labrador require to develop effective housing solutions. Working together so […]
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Public Health, Priority Populations and Driving Health Equity Into Action
Public health have long been leaders in health equity strategy (see Sudbury’s Ten Promising Practices). One key direction has been working with local communities and those marginalized and vulnerable populations facing the most inequitable health outcomes or barriers to services and support. I spoke at an Ontario Public Health Association forum on how to engage […]
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Local Collaborations to Advance Health Equity
Building broad local partnerships and collaborations among service providers, community agencies and residents is one vital part of driving health equity into action on the ground. I spoke to a tremendously interesting group coming together in the Jane-Humber area of north-west Toronto. I highlighted the experience and impact of the South East Toronto Organization, a […]
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