Wellesley Institute works in research and policy to improve health and health equity in the GTA through action on the social determinants of health.
Wellesley Institute’s Policy Briefs draw on our research and expertise to succinctly highlight pressing policy issues and identify practical courses of action to address them. They can be a useful resource for anyone who is interested in transforming the research evidence on health equity and the social determinants of health into policy action.
If you are injured in an accident in Ontario, you may face barriers in getting the supports you need. This is because the mix of private and public programs and insurance leads to variation in what you get depending on your income, employment, and how or where you were injured. Our patchwork of coverage falls […]
Continue ReadingSupporting Healthy Lives for Accident Victims Download PublicationSupporting Healthy Lives for Accident Victims
This policy brief highlights that Ontarians need access to health care in a language that they can understand. People in Ontario who do not speak English or French fluently have barriers when they try to access health care. Without adequate language support, the quality of their health care may be severely compromised. Access to trained […]
Continue ReadingExpanding Language Interpretation Services in Health Care: Policy Brief Download PublicationExpanding Language Interpretation Services in Health Care: Policy Brief
Housing that is affordable and in good condition is important for health and well-being. Non-profit, public, and co-operative housing provides this for disadvantaged people who cannot afford market rental. A first step is to preserve our existing affordable housing. Ontario needs an action plan, with ongoing provincial funding, to keep this housing affordable and in […]
Continue ReadingSustaining Ontario Social Housing Download PublicationOntario Social Housing Policy Brief
The number of Ontario households with significant repair issues is growing and Wellesley Institute is concerned about the impact of housing disrepair on tenants’ health and well-being. The province can mitigate the increasing state of disrepair in private rental housing through a comprehensive policy approach that invests in repair and prevents further deterioration. By clarifying […]
Continue ReadingHealthy Rental Housing Download PublicationHealthy Rental Housing Policy Brief
Ontario has set a goal of ending chronic homelessness. A significant proportion of those who are homeless either have mental health problems, are youth or are Indigenous. Ending chronic homelessness requires action on these groups. This policy brief focuses on the 2 to 3 percent of the population that lives with a severe mental illness […]
Continue ReadingOntario Supportive Housing Policy Brief Download PublicationOntario Supportive Housing Policy Brief
New permanent residents are unable to receive public coverage for essential health care (OHIP) within their first three months in Ontario. This policy brief brings together research evidence on the impacts of the three-month wait and identifies options to improve access to health care for new Ontarians. Wellesley Institute’s Policy Briefs draw on our research […]
Continue ReadingThe OHIP Three Month Wait – Policy Brief Download Publication3MonthWaitPolicyBrief
Sign up for our newsletter to receive regular updates on our work.
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.