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Wellesley Institute 2014 A Year In Review

Wellesley Institute
Wellesley Institute

1) Racialized women face significant barriers to accessing breast cancer screening programs resulting in later diagnoses and lower survival rates compared to non-racialized women. 2) Racialized Ontarians experience higher unemployment rates and earnings gaps compared to non-racialized Ontarians, highlighting the need for improved data on racial disparities in the labour market. 3) Unregulated rooming houses in Toronto suburbs have become an important source of affordable housing for vulnerable groups but often lack adequate health and safety protections for tenants.

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Wellesley Institute A Year In Review
Breast Cancer Screening in Racialized Women Racialization has significantly affected womens access to breast cancer screening programs, diagnosis, treatment and survival. To ensure equitable access to quality care a better understanding of systemic barriers is needed. More than 50% of recent immigrants eligible for screening did not access it, compared to 26% of Canadian-born women. Women from highest income group have a 4.5% higher chance of survival than women in lowest income group. Language and social factors can impede access to preventive care services. Higher death rates among racialized women largely due to late-stage diagnoses, which strongly determine survival rates.
Colour Coded Labour Market by the Numbers The Canadian labour market has changed drastically since the 2006 Census, yet we do not have reliable data to update our understanding of the racialized labour market experience. What the NHS data tells us: Racialized Ontarians experience 10.5% unemployment, compared to 7.5% for the rest of Ontarians. An earnings gap of 16.7% exists between racialized and non-racialized Ontarians. What the data doesnt say: The gap between racialized and non-racialized workers has widened since the 2006 Census. Our Recommendation: Improve data quality by returning to the mandatory long-form Census.
Torontos Suburban Rooming Houses Rooming houses have become more prevalent in the suburbs but their legal status has left them unregulated, preventing them from being considered an affordable housing option. Effective regulation is needed to improve tenant health and safety. The majority of inner suburbs in North America are in socio-economic decline. Growth of rooming houses in inner suburbs reflects changes such as increasing poverty and lack of affordable housing in those areas. The majority of Torontos suburban roomers are male and live on fixed income such as Ontario Works of ODSP. Other roomer populations include newcomers, international students and senior citizens.
Our New CEO At the end of March 2014, Dr. Kwame McKenzie joined the Wellesley Institute as its new CEO. I believe Toronto is very fortunate to have an organization like The Wellesley Institute, and leading the Institute through this next period of growth is a real privilege. Good health is something that all Torontonians want, for themselves and their community. I want to place Wellesley Institute at the forefront of understanding how social, environmental and economic forces shape the health of Toronto residents.
Impact Assessment Municipal policy can have significant impacts on peoples lives. Leading up to the October 2014 municipal election, we shared our ideas on how to build a healthier city through our Health Equity Impact Assessments. A health-enhancing housing plan would address housing unaffordability, increase the supply of TCH and other subsidized units, fund the TCH capital repair backlog, and commit to eliminating homelessness in Toronto. A health-enhancing green spaces and active transportation plan would commit to protecting and expanding Torontos green spaces and active transportation networks. Health Equity A health-enhancing jobs and income plan would include initiatives to increase the number of well-paying, stable jobs that include benefits and would lay out a plan to reduce poverty in our city. A health-enhancing transit plan would commit to making transit affordable for all Torontonians, improve transit access in under-served parts of Toronto, and connect communities to important locations like grocery stores, workplaces and schools.
Time for city and province to tackle urgent homelessness crisis - Toronto Star, January 2014 Torontos housing and homelessness crisis is clear. A recent study found that nine out of 10 families living in Torontos low-income highrises are at risk of homelessness. Its time for Toronto and Ontario to step up and do the right thing for people in need of housing support.
Cutting refugee health care a false saving - Toronto Star, February, 2014 Sonal Marwah ... explores it in a study released this week by the Wellesley Institute. She does not make value judgments. She does not use emotional language. She sticks to known facts, documented cases and evidence she collected in interviews with health-care providers, directors of clinics and community agencies, and refugee workers. ...Ottawas cutbacks have exposed Canadians to health risks the government did not anticipate and has not acknowledged.
Toronto is falling behind in paying for needed services - Toronto Star, March, 2014 To maintain our existing city services we need revenues to keep up with the increasing number of Torontonians who access them and the increases in the costs of services. A property tax increase that is less than half the rate of rising costs means that Torontos most reliable source of revenue will lag far behind our actual needs. Everything from more extreme weather, to gridlocked transportation systems to over-subscribed recreation programs tells us that we need more city services, not less.
Happy Holidays from Wellesley Institute
Conditions deemed right for action on inequality - Toronto Star, June 2014 The first way to move public policy is to have a public perception and a media perception of the problem, said Sheila Block, of the Wellesley Institute. What is exciting to me is that the attitudes reflect reality, she told the gathering of policy makers and academics, sponsored by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada and York Universitys Institute for Social Research.
Ontarios housing crisis is also a health crisis - Toronto Star, July 2014 Whether weve managed to buy our dream home or are simply dreaming of having a home, few things matter to us more than where we live. Our homes can be a large part of our identity. But theyre much more than that. Research demonstrates that decent housing is fundamental to our health.
Torontos affordable housing shortage sparks growth of illegal suburban rooming houses - Globe and Mail, October 2014 Toronto has a severe shortage of affordable housing. As of the end of July, there are more than 170,000 people on the waiting list for Toronto Community Housing. Rooming houses, many of which are unlicensed, are often the only choice for people with low incomes.
Dealing With Urban Health Crises: Responses To Cuts To The Interim Federal Health Program This paper was presented by Steve Barnes to the International Conference on Urban Health, Manchester, United Kingdom, March 7, 2014. The IFH program provided basic health care services to refugees and refugee claimants until they either became eligible for provincial/territorial coverage or their claim was denied and they left the country. Services included primary care, hospital care, some prescription drugs, basic dental, and some vision care. The changes to the IFH program removed access to these services for a large number of refugees and claimants, whose coverage was determined by their refugee category ... In some cases, virtually all care was eliminated.
Bob Gardner In Memoriam 1948-2014 Bobs health equity expertise was grounded in his long experience working with community activists, practitioners and policy makers. He was a passionate, tireless advocate for building health and health equity into all policies: from reforming Ontarios health care system, to service delivery planning in LHINs to positioning community health centres as equity leaders. Bob played a significant role in the development, design and implementation of Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEIA) across the province. He worked to ensure that HEIAs were grounded in local experience and responsive to emerging issues at the community level.
Ottawa must reverse cuts to refugee - Toronto Star, February 2014 Our ongoing work on the health impacts of cutting refugee health care contributed evidence about the impact of these cuts. The Real Cost of Cutting Refugee Health Benefits: A Health Equity Impact Assessment, published January 2013, author Steve Barnes. Refugee Health Care Cuts In Canada: System Level Costs, Risks and Responses, published February 2014, author Sonal Marwah. health care The Real Cost Of Cutting The Interim Federal Health Program, published October 2013, author Steve Barnes.

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Wellesley Institute 2014 A Year In Review

  • 1. Wellesley Institute A Year In Review
  • 2. Breast Cancer Screening in Racialized Women Racialization has significantly affected womens access to breast cancer screening programs, diagnosis, treatment and survival. To ensure equitable access to quality care a better understanding of systemic barriers is needed. More than 50% of recent immigrants eligible for screening did not access it, compared to 26% of Canadian-born women. Women from highest income group have a 4.5% higher chance of survival than women in lowest income group. Language and social factors can impede access to preventive care services. Higher death rates among racialized women largely due to late-stage diagnoses, which strongly determine survival rates.
  • 3. Colour Coded Labour Market by the Numbers The Canadian labour market has changed drastically since the 2006 Census, yet we do not have reliable data to update our understanding of the racialized labour market experience. What the NHS data tells us: Racialized Ontarians experience 10.5% unemployment, compared to 7.5% for the rest of Ontarians. An earnings gap of 16.7% exists between racialized and non-racialized Ontarians. What the data doesnt say: The gap between racialized and non-racialized workers has widened since the 2006 Census. Our Recommendation: Improve data quality by returning to the mandatory long-form Census.
  • 4. Torontos Suburban Rooming Houses Rooming houses have become more prevalent in the suburbs but their legal status has left them unregulated, preventing them from being considered an affordable housing option. Effective regulation is needed to improve tenant health and safety. The majority of inner suburbs in North America are in socio-economic decline. Growth of rooming houses in inner suburbs reflects changes such as increasing poverty and lack of affordable housing in those areas. The majority of Torontos suburban roomers are male and live on fixed income such as Ontario Works of ODSP. Other roomer populations include newcomers, international students and senior citizens.
  • 5. Our New CEO At the end of March 2014, Dr. Kwame McKenzie joined the Wellesley Institute as its new CEO. I believe Toronto is very fortunate to have an organization like The Wellesley Institute, and leading the Institute through this next period of growth is a real privilege. Good health is something that all Torontonians want, for themselves and their community. I want to place Wellesley Institute at the forefront of understanding how social, environmental and economic forces shape the health of Toronto residents.
  • 6. Impact Assessment Municipal policy can have significant impacts on peoples lives. Leading up to the October 2014 municipal election, we shared our ideas on how to build a healthier city through our Health Equity Impact Assessments. A health-enhancing housing plan would address housing unaffordability, increase the supply of TCH and other subsidized units, fund the TCH capital repair backlog, and commit to eliminating homelessness in Toronto. A health-enhancing green spaces and active transportation plan would commit to protecting and expanding Torontos green spaces and active transportation networks. Health Equity A health-enhancing jobs and income plan would include initiatives to increase the number of well-paying, stable jobs that include benefits and would lay out a plan to reduce poverty in our city. A health-enhancing transit plan would commit to making transit affordable for all Torontonians, improve transit access in under-served parts of Toronto, and connect communities to important locations like grocery stores, workplaces and schools.
  • 7. Time for city and province to tackle urgent homelessness crisis - Toronto Star, January 2014 Torontos housing and homelessness crisis is clear. A recent study found that nine out of 10 families living in Torontos low-income highrises are at risk of homelessness. Its time for Toronto and Ontario to step up and do the right thing for people in need of housing support.
  • 8. Cutting refugee health care a false saving - Toronto Star, February, 2014 Sonal Marwah ... explores it in a study released this week by the Wellesley Institute. She does not make value judgments. She does not use emotional language. She sticks to known facts, documented cases and evidence she collected in interviews with health-care providers, directors of clinics and community agencies, and refugee workers. ...Ottawas cutbacks have exposed Canadians to health risks the government did not anticipate and has not acknowledged.
  • 9. Toronto is falling behind in paying for needed services - Toronto Star, March, 2014 To maintain our existing city services we need revenues to keep up with the increasing number of Torontonians who access them and the increases in the costs of services. A property tax increase that is less than half the rate of rising costs means that Torontos most reliable source of revenue will lag far behind our actual needs. Everything from more extreme weather, to gridlocked transportation systems to over-subscribed recreation programs tells us that we need more city services, not less.
  • 10. Happy Holidays from Wellesley Institute
  • 11. Conditions deemed right for action on inequality - Toronto Star, June 2014 The first way to move public policy is to have a public perception and a media perception of the problem, said Sheila Block, of the Wellesley Institute. What is exciting to me is that the attitudes reflect reality, she told the gathering of policy makers and academics, sponsored by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada and York Universitys Institute for Social Research.
  • 12. Ontarios housing crisis is also a health crisis - Toronto Star, July 2014 Whether weve managed to buy our dream home or are simply dreaming of having a home, few things matter to us more than where we live. Our homes can be a large part of our identity. But theyre much more than that. Research demonstrates that decent housing is fundamental to our health.
  • 13. Torontos affordable housing shortage sparks growth of illegal suburban rooming houses - Globe and Mail, October 2014 Toronto has a severe shortage of affordable housing. As of the end of July, there are more than 170,000 people on the waiting list for Toronto Community Housing. Rooming houses, many of which are unlicensed, are often the only choice for people with low incomes.
  • 14. Dealing With Urban Health Crises: Responses To Cuts To The Interim Federal Health Program This paper was presented by Steve Barnes to the International Conference on Urban Health, Manchester, United Kingdom, March 7, 2014. The IFH program provided basic health care services to refugees and refugee claimants until they either became eligible for provincial/territorial coverage or their claim was denied and they left the country. Services included primary care, hospital care, some prescription drugs, basic dental, and some vision care. The changes to the IFH program removed access to these services for a large number of refugees and claimants, whose coverage was determined by their refugee category ... In some cases, virtually all care was eliminated.
  • 15. Bob Gardner In Memoriam 1948-2014 Bobs health equity expertise was grounded in his long experience working with community activists, practitioners and policy makers. He was a passionate, tireless advocate for building health and health equity into all policies: from reforming Ontarios health care system, to service delivery planning in LHINs to positioning community health centres as equity leaders. Bob played a significant role in the development, design and implementation of Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEIA) across the province. He worked to ensure that HEIAs were grounded in local experience and responsive to emerging issues at the community level.
  • 16. Ottawa must reverse cuts to refugee - Toronto Star, February 2014 Our ongoing work on the health impacts of cutting refugee health care contributed evidence about the impact of these cuts. The Real Cost of Cutting Refugee Health Benefits: A Health Equity Impact Assessment, published January 2013, author Steve Barnes. Refugee Health Care Cuts In Canada: System Level Costs, Risks and Responses, published February 2014, author Sonal Marwah. health care The Real Cost Of Cutting The Interim Federal Health Program, published October 2013, author Steve Barnes.