Updates
We Support Toronto's Gender Equity Strategy!
Women, girls, and trans and non-binary people represent more than half of Toronto’s population. Yet they face higher rates of violence and poverty, and are underrepresented in leadership positions. A Gender Equality Office is an important step towards addressing inequality, and cities including New York, Los Angeles, Vienna, Vancouver, Montreal, and Ottawa are already taking this step.
Thanks to years of work from advocates across Toronto, City staff have proposed the creation of Toronto's own Gender Equality Office, as well as an intersectional gender equity strategy!
The topic is on the agenda for the Executive Committee meeting taking place tomorrow, September 18. We've sent the following letter to Mayor Tory and Members of the Executive Committee to let them know they have our support in joining these cities on this important journey.
Want to help make systemic social change in Toronto? Join our Board!
2019 Call for Nominations to the Social Planning Toronto Board of Directors to Fill One Vacancy
Social Planning Toronto (SPT) is a non-profit, charitable community organization that works to improve equity, social justice, and quality of life in Toronto through community capacity building, community education and advocacy, policy research and analysis, and social reporting.
SPT is governed by a 15-person volunteer Board of Directors who are committed to the purposes and mission of SPT and to the important role of independent community social planning in helping to shape the quality of life for all of Toronto’s residents. There is currently one vacancy on the Board of Directors and SPT is seeking nominations to fill that vacancy. The term runs until May 2020 with re-election at the 2020 AGM.
Need for Budget That Moves Toronto in the Right Direction More Urgent than Ever
Today a coalition of more than 70 Toronto community leaders, groups, and organizations urged Mayor John Tory and City Council to demonstrate what it means to build a budget that is for all people, especially the most vulnerable among us.
Read the full text of their open letter below.
New Videos Highlight Students' Experiences of Academic Streaming
Did you know that major changes are happening to education in Ontario — including funding cuts, increased class sizes, and mandatory e-learning? Last week, Social Planning Toronto, the Coalition for Alternatives to Streaming in Education (CASE), and Working Women Community Centre hosted a panel to discuss how these changes might impact academic streaming, equity, and the state of public education in Ontario.
Announcing our Frances Lankin Award Recipients for 2019
Toronto's neighbourhoods and communities are shaped by people who inspire and connect us. Every year, Social Planning Toronto honours extraordinary individuals with our Frances Lankin Community Service Award.
We are thrilled to announce this year's recipients!
Take Action for Equitable Housing in Jane–Finch!
Are you experiencing rising rents, or concerned about new developments and housing affordability in Jane–Finch? Are you interested in learning from other resident groups and experts on how to improve housing conditions in the neighbourhood? Come to the Jane–Finch Housing Town Hall!
RSVP for SPT's 2019 Annual General Meeting
The Board of Directors of Social Planning Toronto
Invite you to attend the 2019
Annual General Meeting
Want to help shape the quality of life for all of Toronto’s residents? Join our Board!
Call for Nominations to the Social Planning Toronto Board of Directors
Social Planning Toronto is a non-profit, charitable community organization that works to improve equity, social justice, and quality of life in Toronto through community capacity building, community education and advocacy, policy research and analysis, and social reporting.
City Council has Options to Reduce Homelessness Now. It’s Time to Use Them.
A group of Toronto physicians are urging Mayor John Tory and Toronto City Council to introduce a dedicated homelessness levy during the 2019 budget process.
Read the full text of their proposal below.
A Message from our new ED, Devika Shah
Without community, politics is dead. But communities have been scattered like dust in the wind. At work, at home, both practically and imaginatively, we are atomised.
As a result, politics is experienced by many people as an external force: dull and irrelevant at best, oppressive and frightening at worst. It is handed down from above rather than developed from below.
[But] … Participatory culture stimulates participatory politics. In fact, it is participatory politics. It creates social solidarity while proposing and implementing a vision of a better world. It generates hope where hope seemed absent. It allows people to take back control. Most importantly, it can appeal to anyone, whatever their prior affiliations might be. It begins to generate a kinder public life, built on intrinsic values. By rebuilding society from the bottom up, it will eventually force parties and governments to fall into line with what people want. We can do this. And we don’t need anyone’s permission to begin.