Wellesley Institute

Canada’s universal pension effectively reduces poverty, but too many people who are eligible for benefits are not receiving them.

Our latest policy brief highlights how to improve OAS uptake amongst low-income older adults, with recommendations to simplify document requirements and implement targeted outreach to the equity-deserving groups who are missing out.

https://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/increasing-uptake-of-oas-among-torontonians/

Despite being eligible, 10,000 low-income Torontonians are not receiving Old Age Security benefits. Our latest research begins to pinpoint who these people are, and what hinders them from applying.
https://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/old-age-security-what-hinders-torontonians-from-applying/

This year, National Seniors Day marks 60 years of the Canada Pension Plan. Our upcoming research and policy brief, to be released next week, discuss another important benefit for older adults in our country – Old Age Security – a tool which effectively reduces poverty, but which more than 10,000 older adults in Toronto living below the official poverty line are missing out on.

Research underway

Working with an Indigenous-led research team, and in line with OCAP® principles, Wellesley Institute is continuing our work on anti-Indigenous racism and its impact on health. Our upcoming research looks at adverse childhood experiences, whether this is a valid and useful concept in Indigenous communities, and if so, what can be done to decrease their impact.

Gender equality is critical to improving health equity. While women tend to live longer than men, they often suffer from poorer health and quality of life due to gender-based discrimination, including pay gaps and inadequate social and health protection.
Learn more about our research on s*x and gender discrimination as a social determinant of health: https://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/category/s*x-and-gender-discrimination/

Our September e-newsletter is out!
Learn about our latest health equity research and policy work, including AI for health equity and a comparison of emergency benefits in Canada.
https://mailchi.mp/wellesleyinstitute/september-2026-newsletter

Wellesley Institute’s latest think piece finds that AI has shown promise for improving disease detection in equity-deserving populations, expanding access to services, and raising health literacy. But it can also amplify existing structural problems.
Read the think piece: https://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/artificial-intelligence-for-health-equity/

"We could eradicate poverty if we wanted to. It's a choice."
Today our CEO Dr. Kwame McKenzie spoke at the The Globe and Mail webcast, 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘖𝘶𝘵 - 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘢'𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥. He joined Owen Charters, President and CEO, Pathways to Education Canada / Passeport pour ma réussite Canada and Andrea C Barrack, Senior Vice President, Sustainability and Impact, RBC, with Kelly Grant, Postsecondary Education Reporter at the Globe as host.

Can artificial intelligence be used to advance health equity?
In this think piece, Jemal Demeke argues that promising examples of benefit must be balanced with strong safeguards.
https://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/artificial-intelligence-for-health-equity

𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸?
Which have shaped your thinking? Which do you think have had an impact on health equity in Toronto, Ontario and perhaps even across Canada?

Please share in the comments.