The discussion I have heard about Expo 2025 encapsulates one of the things that still bemuses me about Toronto. Other cities I have lived in would have been all over this sort of opportunity, doing everything they could to make sure we got the chance to move on this. From an economic perspective the facts […]
Health systems and Health equity
Raising Revenue, Raising Health: Health Supporting Revenue Tools for Toronto
There is a growing acknowledgement at City Hall that for a fiscally sustainable Toronto we must begin to look at new revenue tools. Much of the discussion has revolved around the important fiscal and structural issues with the budget and the ability of diverse taxing options to help us build a healthy city. The significant […]
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What does a Connected Communities Project look like in Toronto? WILABS Report
On Wednesday March 2, 2016 Wellesley Institute invited partners, collaborators and colleagues to participate in a Wellesley Institute Lab. The objective of this exercise was to create the foundation for building a Toronto-based project, initiated by Wellesley Institute Senior Fellow Camille Orridge, that links services for people from birth to employment. This lab was also the first in […]
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Electoral Reform Could Be Good For Your Health
The Liberal Party promised that 2015 would be the last election conducted using the first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system. Electoral reform is an important opportunity for Canadians to reimagine how we interact with our democratic institutions. Fundamentally, electoral systems are about the role of citizens in shaping parliaments and how democratic institutions reflect our collective desires. But […]
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Supervised injection services play a critical 3rd role in health
Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health recently announced that the three clinics currently providing safe injection services are planning to apply to the federal government for permission to operate safe injection services. There is a strong case for providing integrated supervised injection services as part of a harm reduction approach to drug use. Supervised injection services […]
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A Good Budget is a Blueprint for Health
In the buzz that follows the release of a provincial budget it can be near impossible to understand what it means for the things that really matter to us, like our health. The budget’s official title was Jobs for Today and Tomorrow – a nod to one of the day’s most pressing political priorities – […]
Patients First Consultation Submission to the Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care
The Wellesley Institute works to improve health and health equity in the Greater Toronto Area through research and policy based on the the social determinants of health. We welcome the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s strides towards improving health in our province. Wellesley Institute supports the aims of Patients First. We are especially supportive of the plans to […]
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Now is the Time: Improving Access to Health Care for People Without Insurance
On February 9th, the Wellesley Institute and the Health Network for Uninsured Clients held a full day symposium which brought together settlement workers, researchers, policy makers, politicians, funders, and a range of health care providers to discuss current research, practice and policy opportunities to improve access to health care for uninsured clients and to realize […]
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2016: A year to make it happen
At the end of last year Mayor Tory and city council unanimously approved Toronto’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. In it they herald a new vision for the City: “By 2035, Toronto is a city with opportunities for all: a leader in the collective pursuit of justice, fairness and equity. We want to be renowned as a […]
Going Social with the Systems Approach
One of the outstanding challenges policy researchers face is to establish a deeper theoretical understanding of the connections between complex social determinants and health inequities. Better and more complete conceptual models could improve researchers’ ability to quickly and effectively identify social problems, gather meaningful evidence, and support strategic policy responses. This think piece explores the […]
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