Wellesley Institute works in research and policy to improve health and health equity in the GTA through action on the social determinants of health.
As we continue to enjoy the outdoors this summer, many of us are spending more time engaging in physical activities, travelling and cultivating social connections. Summer illustrates the potential and the importance of living a healthy, thriving life. Being active within our communities and finding meaning and connections through hobbies, volunteering and socializing are essential […]
Continue ReadingSummer illustrates the importance of thriving
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Continue ReadingProtected: Community Violence in Toronto Download PublicationCommunity Violence in Toronto
Canadian healthcare institutions have rarely asked about the race or ethnicity of the people they serve. Contrary to popular belief, this is not because it’s illegal. Canadian institutions have simply been hesitant to openly discuss race and their role in racial discrimination. But waves of change are underway. As many healthcare institutions have turned their […]
Continue ReadingNeeded: A national approach to race-based data for health equity
Bell Let’s Talk’s 2024 campaign, “Let’s create real change” opens a crucial conversation about taking lasting action to address the mental health crisis. Worrisome mental health trends are being observed globally and in Toronto. According to Toronto Public Health, the number of Toronto residents reporting very good or excellent mental health has fallen from 71 […]
Continue ReadingGetting to the root of the mental health crisis
Cities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) have some of the highest auto insurance rates in Ontario. Certain neighbourhoods are further impacted due to insurance assessments that determine certain areas as being higher risk. Those who live in areas outside of metropolitan centres often must rely on private vehicles to get them to and from […]
Continue ReadingEnding disparities in auto insurance premiums
Thirty-four years ago, 14 women were killed at École Polytechnique in Montreal. Across the country today, people are remembering the women we lost that day and why. We remember that a man walked into a classroom and opened fire; his only motivation, his only target, was women. Violence against women isn’t gone, and until it […]
More than 6.2 million Canadians live with a disability that impairs their daily activities. In Ontario, 25 per cent of people live with a disability, most with more than one type. While physical disabilities related to pain, flexibility, and mobility are the most common, mental health-related disabilities are on the rise as the COVID-19 pandemic […]
Continue ReadingFrom surviving to thriving for persons with a disability
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 health, community health, and Canada’s economic growth. To build back better, to establish a new normal, inequities in the social determinants of health are our most important […]
Continue ReadingCanada needs a health equity plan: 2023 federal budget submission
Toronto has significant, and worsening, health inequities. Wellesley Institute research shows that social factors such as housing, income, education, and access to social supports, are vital for individual and community health as well as Canada’s economic growth. Eliminating inequities in the social determinants of health must be our priority. We can build a future in […]
Continue ReadingToronto Housing Action Plan: Who will it be for?
We are in the midst of a 7th wave of COVID-19. We are seeing infections, hospitalizations and deaths rise. Our communities, services and economy are strained because of burnout and the number of people off sick. But these early impacts are not the final story. We now know that a portion of people who […]
Continue ReadingThe delayed response to long COVID: Prioritizing equity
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.