The British Parliament has just passed the UK Equality Bill, and it’s on the way to the Queen for royal assent. Among other new responsibilities, the new legislation creates a new public sector duty to reduce socio-economic inequalities.
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Driving Health Equity for Kids: From the Earliest Years to Transforming the System
Health inequalities faced by children are storing up a lifetime of problems. I recently spoke at a conference on Achieving Health Equity For Kids: Whatever It Takes organized by the Hospital for Sick Children. I set out a roadmap to drive the fundamental changes needed to reduce the health disparities kids face across the province […]
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TBOT municipal election blog: Healthy, inclusive neighbourhoods for Toronto
If they can do it in Montgomery County, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; and even Burlington, Vermont; then why can’t we do it here in Toronto? The “it” is an inclusionary housing policy that ensures that affordable homes are included in all new housing developments. The Toronto Board of Trade’s municipal election blog has just posted the […]
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Inclusionary housing plan would reduce TO's commuting crisis
The Toronto Board of Trade’s 2010 prosperity report card underlines the costs of automobile commuting in Toronto. TO comes dead last in TBOT’s global survey of 19 cities on commuting time, with Torontonians stuck in traffic an average of 80 minutes versus world-leader Barcelona at a relatively brisk 48 minutes. One key reason for the […]
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National housing bill heading back to Commons for third reading
Bill C-304, draft legislation to create a national housing plan for Canada, has passed through committee and is heading back to the Commons for third and final reading. The bill, which has already passed first and second reading and been amended, requires the federal government to consult widely and create a new national housing plan […]
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Ontario income assistance changes will make it harder to get healthy, nutritious food
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About 162,000 Ontarians with special nutrition needs were told in yesterday’s Ontario budget that their special diet allowance is being cancelled and will be replaced, at some point, with an unspecified new mechanism. Access to nutritious food is one of the most important fundamentals for good health. Sick and Tired, research funded by the Wellesley Institute, demonstrates […]
Ontario releases cautious 2010 budget
The Ontario government’s 2010 provincial budget sets out a cautious fiscal plan for the coming year. In our 2010 pre-budget submission, the Wellesley Institute encouraged Ontario to invest in equity and innovation to ensure a healthy future. Here is a first glimpse at the Ontario budget and the three core recommendations proposed by the Wellesley Institute:
Social infrastructure eroding across Canada; cities being forced to paper the gaps
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has released its latest review of the quality of life in Canada’s large cities. Mending Canada’s Frayed Social Safety Net: The Role of Municipal Governments demonstrates that eroding social infrastructure in the large communities where most of Canada’s population lives is not only pushing up rates of homelessness and other social […]
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Hate Crimes And Homelessness: Metropolis Presentation Slides
At the national Metropolis conference in Montreal on March 20, 2010, Michael Shapcott joined a panel of experts to talk about hate crimes in Canada. His presentation focused on hate crimes and homelessness, taking lessons from from the homicide of Paul Croutch in 2005.
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National housing act bill goes for HUMA review on Monday
Bill C-304, the private members’ bill from MP Libby Davies to create a much-needed national housing act for Canada, will get clause-by-clause review at the Commons’ HUMA committee on Monday afternoon. A number of groups, including the Wellesley Institute, have been pressing for amendments to strengthen the draft legislation – and the changes that are […]
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