Wellesley Institute works in research and policy to improve health and health equity in the GTA through action on the social determinants of health.
COVID-19 vaccinations reduce our risk of infection, hospitalization, and death. It is heartening that 85 per cent of Ontarians aged 12 and up (75 per cent of the population) have received their first dose. With rising case counts and the highly transmissible Delta variant gaining traction in Ontario, there is increased urgency to ensure as […]
Continue ReadingProof of vaccination in public settings: An equity lens
Canada has significant health inequities. Wellesley Institute research has shown that social factors such as housing, income, education, discrimination, and access to social supports, are vital for individual and community health as well as Canada’s economic growth. To build back better, to establish a new normal, inequities in the social determinants of health must be […]
Continue ReadingBudget Submission 2022: Prioritizing health equity
The Old Normal The evidence is accumulating. Our seniors’ care system is not keeping up with the growing diversity of Canada. It has failed to provide equitable access to care that is culturally and linguistically appropriate. Many long-term care (LTC) homes that cater to specific cultural or religious groups have extremely long waitlists across the […]
Continue ReadingA new normal for seniors’ care: A focus on diversity and health equity
The COVID-19 virus is clever. Most people who spread COVID-19 do not know that they have it. They have no symptoms at all, they are early in their illness and have mild symptoms, or they are getting better and do not know their illness was COVID-19. If we want to stop the spread, we have […]
The recent federal budget was an opportunity to make significant progress to establish a new normal to create a stronger, more equitable Canada. Racism, poverty, inadequate and unaffordable housing, and scarce mental health resources are all pre-existing pandemics that put equity-seeking groups at greater risk than others. This budget correctly rejects the idea that a […]
The pandemic and the associated recession provide an opportunity for us to reconsider the ‘normal’ state of affairs. Now is the time to envision a bold new normal and learn from the failures of the previous status quo. The Old Normal In the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, the estimated number of Canadians […]
Continue ReadingA new normal for ending homelessness: Collective action towards adequate support
As we live through an unprecedented crisis, the upcoming Federal Budget and future COVID-19 recovery plans must establish a new normal to create a stronger, more equitable Canada. To establish this new normal, we have to start by first recognizing that many other pandemics – including racism, poverty, inadequate and unaffordable housing, and scarce mental […]
Continue ReadingFederal Budget 2021: Opportunity for an equitable recovery
The Old Normal Since long before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, our policies failed to tackle the root causes of health inequalities by not addressing the economic polarization and control of wealth by the very rich in Canada. There has been a clear upward trend in wealth inequality since the mid-1980s, and since the 1990s, taxes relative […]
Continue ReadingA new normal for taxation in Canada: Tipping the scales on wealth tax
The Old Normal Before the COVID-19 pandemic, not only was it difficult for parents to find child care spaces, but it was also expected that they pay exorbitant amounts of money for care that varied in quality across providers in Canada. This lack of access meant that a proportion of parents could not afford to […]
Continue ReadingA new normal for child care in Canada: Accessible, affordable, universal
Wellesley Institute is pleased to announce that Steve Lurie will be joining us in the role of Senior Fellow. A leader in mental health in Canada, Steve recently retired from the Canadian Mental Health Association Toronto Branch, where he served as Executive Director for 41 years. Steve is an adjunct professor at the University of […]
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.