Recent Publications

Hamilton's Social Landscape

Resource Type: Report | Author: Hamilton SPRC
The Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton launched a new bulletin series, called Hamilton’s Social Landscape. The first topic is Trends in Basic Needs and examines recent data on adequate income, healthy food and affordable housing in a short two-page report. Access the report here.
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Caledon Provincial Policy Monitor

April 2012
  The Caledon Institute of Social Policy regularly scans provincial and territorial government websites in order to follow policy developments related to our core work and interests.  These include: Disability, Education, Health, Housing, Income Security, Poverty Reduction, Recreation, Seniors and Youth.  This tracking is intended to inform our analysis of policy trends.  
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Prospering Together: ADDRESSING INEQUALITY AND POVERTY TO SUCCEED IN THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY

Resource Type: Publication | Author: Action Canada Task Force
A report from Action Canada's Task Force on Inequality, Poverty and the Knowledge-Based Economy. An excerpt from the introduction reads as follows:  "Canada needs a shift in thinking. As this report demonstrates, Canadians need to think about in-equality and poverty as obstacles to – rather than consequences of – economic growth. We need to understand that prosperity is not the only solution to inequality and poverty, and realize that alleviating these social problems is crucial to our long-term prosperity. The Task Force’s policy recommendation will start Canada down a path toward developing a 21st century economy that is competitive because it is inclusive." Find the entire report here.  
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Municipal Living Wage 101

Implementing a municipal living wage policy is a way local governments can directly improve residents lives and put widely held community values into practice. This document provides facts, figures and resources to get you started in developing a living wage policy at the municipal or school board level.
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Community Information Tool Kit

Resource Type: Publication | Author: Knight Foundation
One year after the release of Knight's Community Information Toolkit, foundations putting the guide to use say it has been critical in identifying community needs, creating collaborations and helping push for important change. The Information Toolkit is a five-step guide to helping communities take better stock of their community information flows. Where do people go for information? Where are the gaps and areas for improvement? And how can the data gathered help lay groundwork for action? The aim: Strengthening communities by strengthening their information systems.  "We should all think about ourselves as being in the business of helping communities have conversations with itself," said Mayur Patel, Knight's Vice President for Strategic Assessment. Patel led a panel of community foundations speaking about how the toolkit has helped advance their missions.  Some key insights:  The toolkit helps create connections, conversations and collaborations. Several groups using parts of the toolkit report that reaching out to assess community information has has helped connect individuals to each other and connect those individuals to larger community conversations.

Peel Region's Summer Job Challenge

This Caledon 'community story' details an expansion of regular summer hiring practices that quickly moved from concept to pilot project to line item.  

Poverty Cost: An Economic Case for a Preventative Poverty Reduction Strategy in Alberta

Resource Type: Publication | Authors: Vibrant Communities Calgary & Action to End Poverty in Alberta
Poverty Costs is a ground-breaking report, developed by Vibrant Communities Calgary and Action to End Poverty in Alberta, identifies that it cost Albertan taxpayers between $7.1 billion and $9.5 billion every year to maintain persistent levels of poverty.  These costs include direct benefits to families living in poverty as well as health, crime and other related cost.  The Poverty Costs report also details the societal cost of 148,000 families and 73,000 children living in poverty.  For children living in poverty, the challenges are immense.   A Poverty Costs infograph is also available.
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Poverty Reduction in Kingston

Accountability Framework
Community Report Update - November 2011
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Poverty Reduction Plan

Goals & Objectives For Poverty Reduction In Kingston
Community Report Update - November 2011
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Building a New Legacy: Increasing Prosperity for Niagara Residents

Resource Type: Publication | Author: Niagara Region
In the absence of federal leadership, local communities have decided that something must be done. In communities, poverty transforms from a philosophical conversation into a disturbing reality with long term detrimental impacts on the health of adults and life prospects for children. Within the Niagara region, efforts to address poverty were initiated in 2006 and the nature of those efforts subsequently informed by a report commissioned by Niagara Region entitled Legacy of Poverty? Addressing Cycles of Poverty and the Impact on Child Health in Niagara Region Action was built on the report's four recommendations: address poverty through advocacy; provide appropriate and flexible supports which address the broader determinants of health for adults living in poverty; mitigate the negative effects of low-income on children and youth through programs and services, and; monitor progress. Niagara‟s approach to poverty reduction included local creative adaptation around the imperative to increase prosperity for people living in neighbourhoods in need of attention. This vision was the first step toward building a new legacy for children living in poverty. The local landscape has shifted greatly since 2006 and the Niagara community has galvanized its commitment to reducing poverty in several ways. This report outlines only part of the local response to poverty, namely the strategies and activities associated with the Niagara Region Prosperity Initiative. This report is organized around the four recommendations from the Legacy of Poverty report, which remain pillars for local action. In this report, each of them have been updated with the addition of relevant data and information about implementation activities and advice from key stakeholders about next steps.
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