This morning, Dr. Monika Dutt, Cape Breton’s Medical Officer of Health, spoke to CBC Radio about options and opportunities to reduce the health impacts of obesity. Dr. Dutt was responding to a recent call from the Ontario Medical Association to put graphic pictures on junk food packaging to deter people from eating these kinds of […]
Archives for 2012
How Ontario government ministries are acting on social determinants of health
This is a guest blog by Nicoda Foster and Christine Chan, Masters of Public Health Students at the University of Toronto and University of Liverpool respectively. They also both work in policy analysis and project management in the health sector in Toronto, Ontario. We would like to share findings from a survey we conducted over […]
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Thinking of “Frankenstorm”? Think about the homeless and the hungry!
As the northeastern part of North America braces for the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy (dubbed the “Frankenstorm” by some in the media because of its particularly ferocious prospects in the days before Hallowe’en), there are plenty of warnings in Toronto and elsewhere about the need for people to take effective emergency planning measures. Inevitably, the […]
Continue ReadingThinking of “Frankenstorm”? Think about the homeless and the hungry!
Stifling public health leadership is bad for Toronto’s health
Dynamic public health leadership in Toronto over the past 100 years has been a critical factor in creating a healthier and more equitable city. Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health has recently been the target of political and personal attacks for his evidence-based research and policy advice on the public health dimensions of traffic safety. The specifics of those […]
Continue ReadingStifling public health leadership is bad for Toronto’s health
Important progress toward a health-enabling social assistance system, but more work is required
The release today of the final report of the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario recommends a number of important steps toward improving the health of people on social assistance. Increasing rates Most significantly, the Commission recommended an immediate increase of $100 per month for single people receiving Ontario Works (OW). OW […]
Video: Human Rights and Housing, Ensuring Healthy and Affordable Homes For All
Taped on Oct 4, 2012 at Church of the Holy Trinity, Toronto, Ontario. Presenters: Chief Commissioner Barbara Hall, Ontario Human Rights Commission Tracy Heffernan, lawyer, Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario Moderator: Michael Shapcott, Director Housing and Innovation, Wellesley Institute International, national and Ontario human rights laws are a robust foundation on which to build effective […]
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Wellesley Institute response to the Ontario Social Assistance Review
UPDATE: Read our response here. In 2010, the provincial government established the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario, led by Commissioners Francis Lankin and Munir A. Sheikh. The Commission’s task was to recommend reforms to social assistance benefit structures, expectations of and supports for labour market participation, and income and asset […]
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Housing insecurity and homelessness set to rise in Toronto as funding cut for homelessness prevention and housing programs
Big cuts to homelessness prevention and housing programs will lead to an increase in housing insecurity and homelessness in Toronto. On October 5, the Wellesley Institute reported on $22 million in cuts to Toronto housing and homelessness programs – mainly due to cuts from the provincial government. The Toronto Star, in a front page story on October 18, […]
Toronto affordable housing wait list sets yet another new record – underlining need to preserve TCHC homes
Toronto’s affordable housing wait list set a new record in September – 86,892 households, or a total of 160,520 women, men and children. The centralized wait list has set a new record every month since the recession of 2008. The September 2012 number is a staggering 26% increase from the 68,805 households on the wait list in […]
3 Ways To Improve Neighbourhood Health in Toronto’s 2013 Budget
Exercising Good Policy: Increasing Access to Recreation in Toronto’s 2013 Budget, a new report by the Wellesley Institute, says we can make changes to the city budget now to improve our health, we don’t have to wait. Strong evidence links low-levels of physical activity with poor health including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, mental illness, hypertension and […]
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