Wellesley Institute works in research and policy to improve health and health equity in the GTA through action on the social determinants of health.
…future budgets will not provide other new supports that households need in order to thrive. This budget continues to index Ontario Disability Support Program benefits to inflation, and Ontario Works is only mentioned as a cost pressure. The word “poverty” and the phrase “low income” do not appear in this…
…current “status quo” from the most recent provincial budget as their baseline. We also presume that, unless parties have been explicit about reducing funding from that budget, they do not intend to do so. Our overall analysis We are pleased to see that all political parties have committed to increasing…
Continue ReadingOntario Election series: Analysis of party platforms on housing
…the current “status quo” from the most recent provincial budget as their baseline. We also presume that, unless parties have been explicit about reducing funding from that budget, they do not intend to do so. Our overall analysis All political parties have committed to increasing access to primary care providers….
Continue ReadingOntario Election series: Analysis of party platforms on health system equity
…“status quo” from the most recent provincial budget as their baseline. We also presume that, unless parties have been explicit about reducing funding from that budget, they do not intend to do so. Our overall analysis Although no party has fully articulated a vision of achieving thriving for everyone in…
Continue ReadingOntario Election series: Analysis of party platforms on thriving
…health outcomes. Everyone should have access to healthy housing, which we define as being affordable (costing no more than 30 per cent of income), adequate to their needs, and healthy. We face a triple crisis in housing – attainability (people cannot afford the home they want), affordability (people cannot afford…
Continue ReadingFederal Liberal leadership series: On housing
…Health, University of Toronto Dr. Astrid Guttmann, Chief Science Officer, ICES Dr. Baiju Shah, Senior Scientist, ICES, Professor, University of Toronto Brenda Roche, PhD, Director of Research, Wellesley Institute, Camille Orridge, Senior Fellow, Wellesley Institute Carie Gall, M.H.Sc., CHE, O.T. Reg. (Ont.) Carolina Berinstein, Member, Wellesley Institute Board of Directors…
Continue ReadingConsensus Statement on Race-Based Data for Health
Residents across the City of Toronto experience significant disparities in housing, income and mental health and well-being. These inequities create and exacerbate health inequities across population groups, disproportionately affecting those who are low-income, racialized, people with disabilities and newcomers. The City of Toronto budget makes a big difference in the…
Continue ReadingCity of Toronto Budget 2025: Our recommendations
Old Age Security is a powerful poverty reduction program. The payments can be a significant portion of an older adult’s overall income, especially if they are low-income. However, more than 10,000 low-income older adults in Toronto are not accessing their OAS benefits, even though they are eligible. Furthermore, certain groups,…
Continue ReadingUnclaimed Benefits: Too many missing out on Old Age Security in Toronto Download PublicationUnclaimed Benefits: Too many missing out on Old Age Security in Toronto
TORONTO (December 10, 2024) – Too many low-income Torontonians are not accessing the Old Age Security (OAS) benefits they are entitled to. Research by Wellesley Institute, in partnership with Open Policy Ontario, has found that more than 10,000 Toronto residents living in poverty are not receiving this important benefit that…
…health equity for these vulnerable older adults in Toronto. This work is timely as the City is developing a new Seniors Strategy, as well as a new strategic plan for Shelter & Support Services. In line with its Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy, the City also plans to open 20…
Continue ReadingAging while homeless: The growing crisis of older adults in Toronto’s shelter system
We wish to acknowledge this land on which the Wellesley Institute operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.
Revised by the Ceremonial Committee at the University of Toronto Office of Indigenous Initiatives in April 2021.