Wellesley Institute works in research and policy to improve health and health equity in the GTA through action on the social determinants of health.
While many Torontonians are working from home to help fight the spread of COVID-19, essential workers are helping by going to work every day to keep the city safe and functioning. It’s no surprise that since the start of the pandemic, TTC ridership has fallen by 85 per cent. But even though the number of […]
Continue ReadingProtecting public transit to protect public health
Wellesley Institute aims to improve health and health equity in Toronto through the development of better policy based on the social determinants of health. (http://www.wellesleyinstitute.com) There is now a volunteer opportunity to join our Board of Directors in October 2020. We are seeking leaders or emerging leaders who are passionate about Wellesley Institute’s mission and […]
From Zoom meetings and Google Classroom lectures, to around-the-clock news updates, COVID-19 has forced Torontonians to rely on digital technologies and highspeed internet now more than ever. For people who are not technologically literate or cannot afford highspeed internet, software or the most current devices, this shift has made it difficult to manage the social […]
Continue ReadingStaying (dis)connected? Toronto’s digital divides under COVID-19
I am told that we are preparing to slowly get back to normal. That fills me with dread. I remember normal. Normal was when Ontario had its highest ever GDP per capita, but at least 350,000 people used food banks and social assistance rates were so low that those considered too sick to work were […]
Across the province, personal support workers (PSWs) have been walking out on their jobs because of unsafe working conditions created by COVID-19. Lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), infrequent COVID-19 testing, and a chronic shortage of staff have put PSWs at greater risk of contracting the virus. These issues coupled with long-standing concerns such as […]
Continue ReadingSupporting support workers: PSWs need increased protections during COVID-19
The Federal Government has released at least 20 different measures to support individuals through the impacts of COVID-19 and the public health response. These have included changes in the rules for existing supports such as EI, increases in programs such as child benefit and new benefits such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). But […]
Since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, school semesters have been postponed, many are working from home, and all things declared non-essential have closed. With all these changes, child care for many has become a challenge. In a move to ensure that frontline workers and their families are looked after during this unprecedented time, Ontario’s Ministry of Education […]
Continue ReadingEmergency childcare during COVID-19: Essentially accessible?
As you know, over recent months, governments and organizations have been responding in various ways to address the spread of COVID-19.The World Health Organization has determined that COVID-19 has reached the level of a global pandemic. As a precaution and to decrease the spread of the virus, Wellesley Institute staff will be working remotely until […]
Decent, safe, and affordable housing is an absolute foundation for healthy lives. Research has shown the critical links between housing and health. Without appropriate and secure housing, our health suffers, our mental health deteriorates, we are more stressed. Without affordable housing we may need to skip on food or medications in order to pay the […]
Continue ReadingBuilding Health: Canada’s opportunity to improve housing affordability
In 2021, we will moving into a new permanent home in southeast Toronto, very close to the location where the original Wellesley Hospital stood. We are in the process of renovating our new location, and in the meantime, we will be working at a temporary space. Effective January 1st, 2020 we will be located 26 […]
Continue ReadingWellesley Institute is headed back to our roots!
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We would like to acknowledge this sacred land on which the Wellesley Institute operates. It has been a site of human activity for 15,000 years. This land is the territory of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. The territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and Confederacy of the Ojibwe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes.
Today, the meeting place of Toronto is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work in the community, on this territory.
Revised by the Elders Circle (Council of Aboriginal Initiatives) on November 6, 2014
In the spirit of equity and inclusion, if we can improve on this statement, please contact us. Thank you.