Publications, opinions, and speeches
Maytree publishes reports, backgrounders, briefs, opinions, and speeches to help inform decision-making and to engage in public discussions on social policy issues.
- For publications by the Caledon Institute of Social Policy, visit this page.
- For publications on immigration and diversity (published before 2013), visit this page.
Published on 14/02/2023
Written submission for the 2023 Ontario pre-budget consultations.
Download the submission The government’s plan to build Ontario up will not work unless it is done on a solid foundation – and that foundation is the social safety net. To this end, Maytree calls on the Ontario government to: Improve the adequacy of the social assistance system; Strengthen the broader income support system for […]
Published on 31/01/2023
Concessions made to get the new regulatory framework for rooming houses passed undermine the intent of the framework. The City should approach enforcement with the goals of protecting tenants and preserving affordable housing supply.
Did you break out the bubbly on December 14? After a long haul, we don’t blame anyone who wants to celebrate that Toronto City Council finally passed a regulatory framework that will make rooming houses legal across the city. At the risk of being killjoys, we are not celebrating this new regulatory framework as a […]
Published on 26/01/2023
Reflecting on Nell Toussaint, a human rights claimant and advocate, Bruce Porter remembers her as she was, in contrast to how she was portrayed by the Canadian legal system. Nell Toussaint passed away on January 9, 2023.
photo: Bruce Porter, Nell Toussaint and Andrew Dekany celebrating the decision in Toussaint v. Canada. Originally published on socialrights.ca Nell Toussaint passed away last week after suffering heart failure and falling into a coma late last year. As the human rights movement mourns the passing of a very significant human rights claimant and advocate, I’ve […]
Published on 11/01/2023
The strong-mayor system does offer many benefits. But letting a mayor get legislation through with support from only one-third of council isn’t democratic.
Originally published on TVO.org. Strong mayors have been in the news in Ontario, as the provincial government has established new municipal-government protocols in Toronto and Ottawa and hinted at doing the same for other cities. Strengthening the hand of mayors with more executive power is part of the story, but what has caught the most […]
Published on 20/12/2022
The Canada Revenue Agency needs to change course on its verification criteria for the Canada Housing Benefit supplement. Otherwise it will have stolen the opportunity from people living in deep poverty to access support they so urgently need.
On December 12, the federal government opened applications for its one-time, $500 supplement for low-income renters with much fanfare. This support is welcome, especially during a time of rising rents and inflation. But the government’s intentions are being undermined by the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) implementation of the benefit. The CRA has become the Grinch […]
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Published on 19/12/2022
What housing and homelessness experts are telling us: to seriously improve the current housing calamity, policy must tuck itself under, and soundly support, our most vulnerable residents first.
This story is part of a year-long multimedia partnership between West End Phoenix, a local periodical community newspaper for Toronto’s West End, and Maytree. All stories, video series, and artwork created through the partnership are being independently produced by West End Phoenix. When the province talks about affordable housing goals, what tends to get painted […]
Published on 15/12/2022
This policy brief provides an analysis of data published in Maytree’s Welfare in Canada, 2021 report.
Download the policy brief This policy brief provides an analysis of data published in Maytree’s Welfare in Canada, 2021 report. It highlights the key trends in the report’s analysis of the income support benefits available to people who qualify for social assistance across Canada. The data in Welfare in Canada, 2021 reveal five main findings: […]
Published on 13/12/2022
To deepen our understanding of the relationship between human rights, poverty, racism, and the criminal justice system, we had conversations with and published contributions by researchers and practitioners, as well as individuals with lived experience. The result was “Advancing justice,” a series of articles and podcast interviews.
In 2021 and 2022, Maytree explored the relationship between human rights, poverty, racism, and the criminal justice system. To deepen our understanding, we had conversations with and published contributions by researchers and practitioners, as well as individuals with lived experience. The result was “Advancing justice,” a series of articles and podcast interviews published on the […]
Published on 09/12/2022
December 10 is International Human Rights Day. This year, it reminds us to reflect on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, on the progress we’ve made, and how much further we have to go.
This year is like the year before a big birthday – the one that makes you reflect on how you live and what you’ve done with your life so far, before you hit that milestone. Next year in 2023, Canada will reach one such milestone: 75 years as a signatory to the Universal Declaration of […]