Some steps forward, but many more to go: How can we push ahead and get real change?

Join with other community groups across the city fighting to end poverty; share what’s happening in your community; hear what others are doing; connect with new ideas; explore new opportunities to open the way for change.

Saturday, June 12
10:00 - 3:00 p.m.
North York Memorial Hall
5110 Yonge Street, next to North York Civic Centre
(North York Civic Centre subway station)

Download the flyer here.

For RSVP and more information, please contact:
Mary Micallef - 416-351-0095 ext. 251 or [email protected]

• Child minding assistance available on request
• This venue is wheelchair accessible
• Refreshments provided

Child Poverty has been well documented as becoming ever more “colour coded” or racialized. The continuing trend shows that all levels of government and other institutions must urgently address this worsening reality to end further disparities and achieve equity for all.

Come on May 19 to get the facts and discuss a plan for action!

Please click here to download the event flyer: Colour of Change Forum Flyer

Wednesday 19 May 2010
2:00 - 4:00 pm
1652 Keele Street
(South of Eglinton Avenue West, 2 blocks N of Rogers Road)
Wheelchair Accessible

For further information, please contact:
Yasmin Haq-Khan
Community Planner - York
SOCIAL PLANNING TORONTO
1652 Keele Street, Toronto M6M 3W3
Please RSVP
For childcare, please call by May 15
416.652.9772
[email protected]

Make Sure Toronto District School Board’s Budget Meets the Needs of Inner City Students

Social Planning Toronto is an active member of the Toronto District School Board’s Inner City Advisory Committee (ICAC). With this committee we have been bringing to the board’s attention the need for more focused funding and programming to address the poverty that exists in Toronto’s inner city and is hampering the success of the city’s neediest students. We need your support to further this cause. Recently, the ICAC passed a motion asking the school board to specifically allocate more money in its 2010-11 budget to address the effects of poverty in the school system.

2010 Budget holds only threat for Ontario’s most vulnerable

The 2010 Budget fails the test of a Government committed to a comprehensive poverty reduction plan for Ontarians. An amount of $57 million is designated as an increase to the Basic Needs Allowance for people on social assistance, which is 1%, while inflation is projected to be 2% or higher in 2010.

The Government signaled major cuts to the Special Diet Allowance (SDA), while making no specific provision in the 2010 Budget. Claiming that the SDA was “unsustainable” at current levels, the Government announced that the program will be redesigned and transferred from Social Services to the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. Government officials would give no estimates of what would constitute sustainability, but indicated that it would be well below the current $200 million program cost. Clearly, thousands of low income Ontarians now dependent on the SDA for access to a nutritional diet critical to their health will become more subject to debilitating illness and disease, likely even more costly to the healthcare system.

Social Planning Toronto's March 2009 Research & Policy Forum focused on issues relating to immigrant homeless and health & labour market outcomes for immigrants. Presenters include Dr. Stephen Hwang from St. Michael's Hospital/ University of Toronto who presented findings from the report entitled "The Health of Homeless Immigrants" & Dr. John Shields from Ryerson University who presented findings from the latest publications released by the Toronto Immigrant Employment Data Initiative (TIEDI). Listen to their full presentations below:

City Budget Presentation by John Campey – March 2, 2010

Good afternoon, and thank you for this opportunity to speak with you briefly regarding the City’s operating budget for 2010.

I am pleased to speak on behalf of Social Planning Toronto, whose almost 200 member agencies represent a wide cross-section of the non-profit community agencies providing a broad range of prevention, support, and direct service to people across Toronto.

Part of our role is to provide our member organizations with information about policy decisions at all levels of government that have a potential impact on their work, and in that context, Social Planning Toronto held a member forum on the City Budget on February 18. Councillor Carroll was extremely helpful in framing the overall context of the budget, the particular challenges faced by the City in this year of recession and election, as well as in outlining the specific implications for organizations receiving funding through the Community Partnership Investment Program.

Social Planning Toronto
Research & Policy Forum
March 1st, 2010 9:00am-12:00pm

Social Planning Toronto invites you to attend our March Research & Policy Forum.

This month we will be looking at issues around immigrant homelessness and health & labour market outcomes for immigrants.

Presenters include:

• Dr. Stephen Hwang, St. Michael’s Hospital/ University of Toronto
• Dr. John Shields, Ryerson University/ Toronto Immigrant Employment Data Initiative (TIEDI)

March 1, 2010 9:00am – 12:00pm
Social Planning Toronto, 2 Carlton Suite 1001 (Carlton & Yonge)

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.

Thursday, February 18 from 9:30 AM to Noon

519 Church Street Community Centre

Toronto's 2010 proposed operating budget will be introduced on February 16 at City Hall.

Join us on February 18 to:

• Learn more about what's in the budget
• Ask questions and share your ideas
• Find out how to have your say in the budget process

Not a Social Planning Toronto member?
Individual and organizational memberships are available.
You can sign up online, by phone at (416) 351-0095 x251 or at the event.
For more information about membership or to sign up online: www.socialplanningtoronto.org/get-involved

Please pre-register for this event or call (416) 351-0095 x251
Organizational members can send up to two people.

This venue is wheelchair-accessible.

AGENDA: Homeless Memorial, Community Lunch & Federal Party & Community Panel
DATE: Tuesday, February 9, 2010
TIME: 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm.
PLACE: Church of the Holy Trinity (just west of the Eaton Centre between Dundas and Queen Street).

• The Conservative, Liberal, NDP, Green Parties of Canada and the Bloc Quebecois Party have been invited to answer questions on actions they will take to more effectively respond to the ongoing recession and the harsh impact on many vulnerable people and communities.
• Also, representatives from several community coalitions will respond to positions taken by the parties and pose questions.
• In addition, the Recession Relief Coalition will be releasing the responses to a Survey we sent to the five federal parties, and will also release our 3rd Bulletin on the Impacts of the Recession.

Thanks to all for taking part in Social Planning Toronto and Toronto Open Budget Initiative's City Budget Process 101 workshop on February 3.

Budget Chief Shelley Carroll, CAW Sam Gindin Chair Judy Rebick and TOBI speaker Ann Fitzpatrick delivered excellent presentations to a packed house on the state of the City budget process and how we can make it more inclusive and participatory.

Videos from the evening will be posted online shortly.