The Wellesley Institute’s Michael Shapcott will be joining about two dozen thought and practice leaders from Europe, North America and Australia for an international summit on housing and homelessness in Washington DC from March 15 to 18.
Latest federal spending estimates confirm sharp cuts to national housing, homelessness investments
The latest federal spending estimates for the coming fiscal year show a sharp drop in investments in national housing and homelessness programs – confirming a trend over the past two decades of steady erosion in federal support for affordable housing and homelessness initiatives (as noted in the Wellesley Institute’s Precarious Housing in Canada 2010 report).
Great news: Bill C-304 (national housing plan) passes committee, back to Commons for final vote
Great news: Just moments ago, a final amendment was made to Bill C-304 (draft legislation to create a long overdue national housing plan for Canada) – and the bill is headed back to the floor of the House of Commons for third and final reading.
Ontario pledges to be stronger partner with vital community sector: Sets out six-point strategy today
The Ontario government has sent a powerful message today that it wants to be a stronger partner with the province’s vital community sector. A robust and resilient community sector is good for people, necessary for building healthy and inclusive communities and important for a dynamic economy.
Salvation Army’s Dignity Project: Poverty isn’t lifestyle choice; it’s lack of money, food, health and dignity
Poverty isn’t just material deprivation – lack of money, lack of housing, lack of food. The Salvation Army’s new Dignity Project underlines the “dehumanizing scourge of poverty and injustice” and has launched a powerful education campaign to let the public know “what it means to live in poverty” and “what they can do to help”. […]
Ontario set to unveil new partnership strategy for vital non-profit sector; moving from 19th century charity to 21st century social innovation
Ontario Citizenship Minister Eric Hoskins is set to unveil the province’s partnership strategy with the vital non-profit sector on Thursday, along with Helen Burstyn of the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Ontario’s non-profits include 45,000 organizations and employ more than one million people – 15% of the province’s workforce. Non-profits contribute $50 billion to the provincial economy – […]
Don't stop at financial re-structuring of Toronto Community Housing; now is excellent time to improve social infrastructure
Toronto Community Housing officials, chastened after a harsh pair of reports released today from the city’s auditor, have started to take significant steps to improve financial management at the half-a-billion-dollar-a-year municipal landlord. While today’s report focuses on financial management of the city agency that manages a $6 billion real estate portfolio, there is little attention […]
Wellesley Institute staffers at CivicAction Summit: Analyzing critical issues, networking for action
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 […]
Three Wellesley Institute reps join CivicAction Summit to help build healthy, equitable GTA
The Wellesley Institute’s Rick Blickstead, Sheila Block and Michael Shapcott will join community and business leaders and politicians from across the Greater Toronto Area for the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance Summit on Thursday and Friday. The Wellesley Institute is committed to working towards a healthy and equitable GTA, and we have a special interest and […]
Celebrating 100 years since the founding of the Wellesley Hospital
In 1911, when Dr Herbert Bruce founded the Wellesley Hospital, Toronto was a city teeming with immigrants. Many of the new arrivals lived in substandard housing, lived on low incomes and suffered poor health. Fast forward to Toronto of 2011, a city that celebrates its cultural diversity, yet many recent immigrants still suffer higher rates […]
Continue ReadingCelebrating 100 years since the founding of the Wellesley Hospital