Inequity

‘We deserve better’: Health centre director advocates for marginalized communities

Cheryl Prescod is the executive director of a community health centre that was on the front lines of vaccinating the inhabitants of a disadvantaged area of Toronto. We're profiling her as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.

Team Vaccine: Listen, Care and Act

Shiran Isaacksz played a key role in organizing a massive effort to vaccinate as much of Toronto as possible. We're profiling him as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.

In Toronto, she’s an infectious disease specialist. In the North, she’s Dr. Balloon

Anna Banerji is a pediatrician, an infectious disease specialist and the founder of the Indigenous Health Conference. We're profiling her as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.

An open letter to city council: We need Multi-Tenant Houses across Toronto 

Health-care providers, scientists and researchers are calling on Mayor John Tory and city councillors to regulate multi-tenant houses across Toronto on October 1st. It's time we improved this important affordable housing stock.

Living in encampments is more than just a pandemic issue, researchers find

Recent evictions of encampments in Toronto sparked lots of discussion, but there has been little effort to understand why they exist and what they mean to their residents. We studied these questions. Here's what we found.

Breaking the cycle of racism and bias in health care

COVID-19 has laid bare racial disparities in health. Three medical professionals talk about the structural racism in health care they have seen during the pandemic – and what needs to be done to address it.

Why Peter Bryce’s legacy still matters today

Physician John O'Connor received an award honouring the legacy of Peter Bryce, a government doctor who sounded the alarm over the high death toll in residential schools. Who has the courage to be the next?

‘Equitable and free of barriers’: Canada’s first gold-level certified accessible clinic opens its doors

Canada now has its first medical clinic that is accessible enough to earn gold-level certification from the Rick Hansen Foundation. The Ability Clinic, which opened this August, is one of only 59 gold-certified spaces in Canada.

Extreme heat is here to stay. Canada must adapt.

The extreme heat wave that recently boiled Canada is just a preview of what the future holds in store. It's high time we began preparing for dangerous heat in the future. Here are some ways we can start.

Speed and flexibility: Pop-up clinics highlight advantages of learning health systems

The COVID vaccine rollout is a litmus test for the learning health system. It requires speed, well-working collaborations with community members and the ability to adjust on the fly as supplies and eligibility requirements change.

‘It’s hell for inmates in there’: COVID precautions in prisons are worsening mental health

COVID-19 precautions in prisons, such as extended lockdowns and reduced visits, are taking a serious toll on prisoners' mental health

When a city program is really just another pathway to eviction

The pandemic has intensified the suffering of homelessness. Rather than applauding Toronto's band-aid solutions, like the new program Pathway Inside, we must commit to affordable, permanent housing.

Equal is not equitable: moral distress in health care

The inequity of Ontario's vaccine rollout is causing moral distress and burnout among health-care providers. How can we change the health-care system to make it more equitable and sustainable?

Toronto doctor challenges Commons committee to prioritize ‘social recovery’

This pandemic, placed on top of the longstanding social pandemic, has created a "syndemic" – a synergistic pandemic – in which the spark of COVID has ignited a tinderbox of social inequity.

#Raiseyourvoice: An open letter to Ontarians from your doctors

To control the pandemic, more needs to be done immediately. You have seen the clips about hospitals in Italy and New York City last year: make no mistake, this is what we will soon face if we don’t make changes now.

Vaccine rollout ignoring needs of women

Will we use COVID-19 as an opportunity to take off the blindfold and tailor our vaccine strategies to the unique needs of each gender or will we continue to ignore the needs of women?

Rare inflammatory syndrome another example of pandemic’s disproportionate effect on racialized children

The pandemic is causing a rare, serious inflammatory syndrome that disproportionately affects racialized children in Toronto—reflecting larger racial and class-based inequities.

‘Painful and difficult’: A BIPOC woman’s journey in medicine

Navigating the medical profession has been a painful and difficult journey. How far have we come in ensuring that women can thrive within the system?

‘We reach them where they are:’ Mobile healing team delivers culturally based care

Jane Harrison is one of the unsung heroes of the pandemic who, along with her team at Anishnawbe Health Toronto, is caring for vulnerable communities in the Greater Toronto Area.

‘A tattoo for mom?’ Ageism Unmasked

Everyday, compassionate ageism doesn’t just feel bad, it’s bad for our health. And it can lead to terrible public policy.