The 2018 Toronto Child & Family Poverty Report draws on newly released census data to reveal a disturbing picture of child and family poverty in Toronto and in every single ward across the city.[1] With Toronto residents set to go to the polls on October 22, the report authors call on all candidates for Toronto City Council to commit to bold action in response to the pervasive hardships experienced by families in our city.

The city of Toronto is home to a large and diverse population speaking more than 200 different languages. According to the 2016 census, over 130,000 individuals living in Toronto are unable to have a conversation in English or French. Toronto residents without official-language skills make up 4.9% of the city’s population.

Talking Access & Equity: A Profile of City of Toronto Residents Who Speak Neither Official Language delves into the demographics of this population, considers policy and program implications and makes recommendations to support the social, cultural and economic inclusion of these residents. It is the third report in Social Planning Toronto’s census research series.

In partnership with Social Planning Toronto and the CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals, the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) has just released a new report that identifies best practices for leveraging investments in climate actions to create a range of community benefits.

Using multiple sources of data, the Central Etobicoke Hub Feasibility Study provides an in-depth understanding of the current deficits in community services and community spaces in Central Etobicoke and accesses the feasibility of a community hub as an important step to addressing some of these deficits. The report identifies, assesses, and prioritizes community needs; identifies community assets and resources; identifies walkability and transit issues that affect access; outlines demographic information; captures the unique needs of the area; identifies accessible locations for community space; records specific areas of interest and programming needs; establishes potential partnerships and identifies potential governance models. The study builds on the preliminary work of various community groups, with members who have been raising awareness around the lack of services and the deficits in community spaces in Central Etobicoke since the 1990s.

Social Planning Toronto’s budget brief, Promises, Promises, documents the systematic underfunding of key council-approved strategies and service plans in the 2018 city budget. Social Planning Toronto analysis indicates that to meet the commitments council has made, this budget would require:

• an increased investment of $36 million in the 2018 city operating budget;
• an additional $35 million to double council’s commitment to new affordable rental housing development;
• a revision of the city’s budget process to ensure transparency and accountability on critical issues affecting Toronto.

The report presents funding options to support council-approved strategies and service plans.

In December 2016, the Province of Ontario introduced legislation that will allow municipalities to enact inclusionary zoning (IZ) as part of a broader plan to increase the stock of affordable housing. This was welcome news for many who have called for inclusionary zoning as part of the solution to Ontario’s affordable housing crisis.

This report draws on the Statistics Canada 2016 Census and other new data sources to describe the level, distribution and depth of poverty among Toronto children, youth and their families.

New reports released today by Social Planning Toronto show that younger Torontonians, as well as women in key sectors will benefit from proposed labour law reforms under the Ontario government’s Bill 148, The Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act. However, the proposed legislation leaves out the majority of precarious workers, including women and millennials, from improved access to unions.

Despite the many benefits of recreation in health and in settlement, newcomer youth have much lower participation rates compared to their peers. On Monday, June 12, 2017, more than 120 young people, service providers, volunteers, and elected officials gathered at Toronto City Hall to explore ways to improve access to recreation for newcomer youth. Below is a summary of the afternoon and themes that emerged.

Across Ontario, grade 8 students are required to register for high school courses which are classified into three levels: academic, applied, and locally developed/essentials. Typically, students take the majority of their courses at the same level, constituting a stream or pathway. Not only do these decisions impact students’ educational pathways through high school, they can have significant bearing on their post-secondary and career options.

While our education system strives to level the playing field for marginalized students, children of colour and lower income students are over-represented in lower streams which can limit their future opportunities and may not reflect their goals or potential.