Wellesley Institute staffers Rick Blickstead, Sheila Block and Michael Shapcott joined hundreds of other leaders from across the Greater Toronto Region for the CivicAction 2011 Greater Toronto Summit on Thursday. They’ll be back again for day two on Friday. Thursday was a day of high-level analysis, on-the-ground focus and – perhaps most importantly – an incredible […]
Wellesley Institute’s Federal Pre-Budget Backgrounder
Review of three key federal programs affecting housing and homelessness with a focus on key issues and solutions.
Continue ReadingWellesley Institute’s Federal Pre-Budget Backgrounder Download PublicationFederal Budget 2008: Three Housing Questions For Finance Minister Flaherty
Wellesley update: Federal homeless funding never spent
More than $70 million in federal homeless funding was never spent, according to an internal study that was revealed in a Canadian Press story on Sunday (see full text below). This is more than double the $37 million in unspent federal homeless dollars that the then homeless minister, Diane Finlay, acknowledged in August of 2006. […]
Continue ReadingWellesley update: Federal homeless funding never spent
Wellesley update: Why all the fuss from realtors about TOs land transfer tax?
Torontos proposed land transfer tax, far from being a massive tax grab since it targets people who can least afford it (according to the Toronto Real Estate Board), in fact targets high-end properties, such as the typical Rosedale mansion that sells for $1.5 million, for the biggest bite. Torontos property market is becoming increasingly expensive, […]
Continue ReadingWellesley update: Why all the fuss from realtors about TOs land transfer tax?
What can Toronto learn from Calgary when it comes to ending homelessness? Lots, actually!
What can Toronto learn from Calgary when it comes to ending homelessness? Quite a lot, actually, and Tim Richter, the dynamic CEO of the Calgary Homeless Foundation, will be in town early next week to meet with a variety of groups and share their success in housing more than 2,300 previously homeless people over the […]
What to look for in the Ontario 2012 budget: Improving housing affordability
Although a good, affordable home is one of the most important social determinants of health and investing in housing not only takes pressure off of the health care system but is good for the economy, federal and provincial housing funding continues to be insufficient to meet the province’s need for new affordable housing and the […]
Continue ReadingWhat to look for in the Ontario 2012 budget: Improving housing affordability
What’s My Big Idea? An Affordable Housing Trust Fund For Toronto
An affordable housing trust fund to deliver steady funding for desperately needed new affordable and healthy homes – that’s the Big Idea from the Housing and Innovation practice here at the Wellesley Institute that was published on Feb 3 as part of the Toronto Star’s Big Ideas initiative. Here’s the idea: What if Toronto had […]
Continue ReadingWhat’s My Big Idea? An Affordable Housing Trust Fund For Toronto
Where's Home? – declining prospects in Ontario
As Ontario continues its slide into one of the deepest recessions in 50 years, the income gap between renters and home owners in the province continues to increase. This worrisome trend, combined with low vacancy rates in many areas and long waiting lists for social housing across the province, highlights the need for increased investment […]
Continue ReadingWhere's Home? – declining prospects in Ontario
WHO declares level 6 flu pandemic – do pandemic plans leave some people out?
The World Health Organization has just raised the global pandemic flu alert to level 6 – “the world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic”, according to WHO Director General Dr Margaret Chan at a press conference earlier today. The Wellesley Institute has produced research and policy reports in recent days that […]
Continue ReadingWHO declares level 6 flu pandemic – do pandemic plans leave some people out?
WI backgrounder: 15 times more money for roads than for homes?
Ontario’s 2008 Budget is long on language, but short where it counts the most: The dollars fall short of the words. Budgets are about choices and, fundamentally, budgets are about dollars. The real choices are revealed in the spending and revenue columns. When it comes to housing, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan has offered the millions […]
Continue ReadingWI backgrounder: 15 times more money for roads than for homes?