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In Toronto, the problems facing low-income people are many, including, unemployment, food insecurity, a lack of affordable housing and expensive childcare. One step to creating a just and equitable society is social action. By organizing staff and members of the community, we can effect positive change to improve the lives of people in the community, and the community itself. 

Here are a few ways The Neighbourhood Group has taken social action:

Affordable Child Care

Families have long struggled to afford the astronomical cost of child care in Toronto. We advocated on their behalf.

Focusing on the city’s budget, we worked with The Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care and the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario to create awareness about the high cost of child care. Through petitions, letters to city councillors, interviews with mainstream media, deputations to the city, a dedicated social media campaign and deputations to the city’s Economic and Community Development Committee, we made a difference!

Need proof that social action works? $10 a day child care is coming to Ontario in September 2025.
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child care advocates speaking at a rally to create awareness about the need for affordable child care

#EqualityCare

Personal Support Workers (PSWs) are essential front-line workers. They care for some of the most vulnerable people in our community, yet PSWs in homecare get paid almost 25% less than those who do equal work in hospitals and long-term care homes. 

The #EqualityCare campaign started at a grassroots level with PSWs driving the agenda, generating the messages and advocating on behalf of their thousands of peers. That message spread through websites, petitions and letters to the Provincial Government. Media outlets gave prominent coverage to the plight of these deserving PSWs, not only for the wage disparity, but also for the lack of benefits and the precarious nature of their homecare work.
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people marching in support of fair wages for personal support workers

Getting Out the Vote

One of the keys to making people’s voices heard is at the ballot box. By encouraging people to vote for candidates who support issues that closely affect their lives, people in the community are taking steps to create positive change in their own lives. 

The first step during elections is to create awareness about voting. Whether it’s voters’ rights, the process of voting or information about the candidates, education is key. Our staff lead the way by bringing the information to the community through outreach and right into our daily programs. When it’s time to vote, staff ensure that people know where to vote, and in some cases, have helped people get there!
 
young man holding sign about affordable education

ReThink Policing

Over policing of people facing barriers happens far too often in Toronto. The need for change and alternatives to traditional policing was evident. It was time to ReThink Policing.

Together with our partners, our Board of Directors’ Advocacy Committee started spreading the word through police reform education and advocacy events, deputations to City Council and the Police Board; and the #ReThinkPolicing social media campaign.

In March 2022, the city started a pilot project with civilian-led mental health crisis response teams.
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young man standing in park
Communicating critical issues to all levels of government is a key approach of social action. Here are a few examples of our participants and staff speaking out: