Wellesley Institute works in research and policy to improve health and health equity in the GTA through action on the social determinants of health.
Our previous New Normal Election Analysis pieces examined seniors’ care and income inequality. Below, we look at provincial party commitments towards creating good jobs, improving mental health, and addressing anti-racism and health system equity. Good Jobs A good job is crucial for health, and for equity. It consumes so much of our time, and is […]
Continue ReadingElection 2022: Good jobs, mental health and anti-racism
Wellesley Institute’s New Normal is a vision of a better Canada, Ontario, and Greater Toronto Area where everyone thrives post-pandemic. In the lead-up to this provincial election we will examine issues raised in our New Normal blog series to see how the commitments of our leading political parties stack up. Do they seek to bring […]
Wellesley Institute’s New Normal is a vision of a better Canada, Ontario, and Greater Toronto Area where everyone thrives post-pandemic. In the lead-up to this provincial election we will examine issues raised in our New Normal series to see how the commitments of our leading political parties stack up. Do they seek to bring the […]
Wellesley Institute research has long demonstrated significant health disparities for low-income and racialized people. Like past crises, the COVID-19 pandemic intensified these disparities. Our pandemic response did not focus on equity – on helping the Ontarians who needed help the most. We must not make continue to make the same mistake. We need to ensure […]
Continue ReadingOntario budget 2022: A more equitable future, an equitable now
Ontario may be turning the corner with the COVID-19 Omicron variant, but we have seen this virus mutate and we could face another challenge. As we approach a potential lull this spring and summer, we must focus on actions government can take to build our resilience as a society that will save lives, decrease the toll […]
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Ontario in 2020, it was an emergency. It was a poorly understood and potentially catastrophic threat and we accepted that governments needed the latitude to use all of their powers to help us survive. We generally went along with what was needed from us. We understood that in such a […]
Affordable child care is crucial for the health and well-being of families. Wellesley Institute’s Thriving in the City for families: A framework for income and health report, which identifies the goods, resources, and services a Greater Toronto Area (GTA) family with young children needs to live a healthy life, found that the cost of child […]
Continue Reading$10-a-day child care would move GTA families closer to a thriving wage
Our current approach to medication, dental care, and extended health coverage is leaving low-income, working-age Canadians behind – in particular racialized, immigrant, and female workers who face significant barriers to good jobs with benefits. With government programs (of varying levels of adequacy) targeted primarily at seniors, children from low-income families, and adults receiving social assistance, […]
The old normal Loneliness is in the news again. Over the COVID-19 pandemic, people have talking about feeling disconnected from others. However, it is worth remembering that being alone is a recurring topic in our modern age,5–7 famously described more than twenty years ago by Robert Putnam as a decline in society’s social capital. A […]
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
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.