Our previous New Normal Election Analysis pieces examined seniors’ care, income inequality, good jobs, mental health, and anti-racism, and housing. Below we look at provincial party commitments on components included under our Thriving in the City framework, which identifies the goods, resources, and services a Greater Toronto Area (GTA) family with young children needs to […]
Building Healthy Communities
The delayed response to long COVID: Prioritizing equity
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
Toronto Housing Action Plan: Who will it be for?
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?
Canada needs a health equity plan: 2023 federal budget submission
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
From surviving to thriving for persons with a disability
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
Remembering December 6
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 […]
Ending disparities in auto insurance premiums
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
Getting to the root of the mental health crisis
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
Needed: A national approach to race-based data for health equity
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