Campaign 2000 is pleased to advise that the final report of their  Localizing Canada’s Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Project is now available.

Titled Final Report – Localizing Canada’s Commitment to the SDGs, it is available with and without appendices on SDG Campaign 2000 website.

The three-year project, co-led by C2000 with Citizens for Public Justice and Canada Without Poverty, ended last year and focused on community-based research activities amplifying the knowledge of lived experts from 17 communities across the country.

It culminated in March 2024 at a virtual Knowledge Translation Summit with the release of a new National Community-Based Indicator Framework designed to measure actions towards ending poverty – the first of 17 SDGs adopted by Canada and 192 United Nations member states in 2015.

In July 2024, the project findings were also shared at an official side event of the United Nations High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

The team is grateful to those partners and communities who generously shared their knowledge and time throughout the project.

FST completes an annual review of the socio-demographic data of our clients to better understand the communities we serve.

In 2023-2024, through Mental Health, Gender-Based Violence, Community Engagement, DS Options and Person-Directed Planning programs, FST served 3,744 clients. In addition, 11,267 clients were supported through the Passport program.

The key insights from the 2023-24 data report have been highlighted in an infographic available here. Among its findings, it shows clients identifying as women make up 58 per cent of FST’s annual client total and that more than half of all clients are between the ages of 20 and 34.

The most common reasons reported for seeking FST services are intimate partner violence, relationship issues, and trauma.

Check out our membership page to review changes to our corporate membership structure that came into effect in September 2024 to ensure FST’s compliance with the Ontario Not For Profit Corporations Act.

“FST now has two classes of membership – one voting, applicable to community members, and the other non-voting, applicable to all FST employees,” notes Executive Assistant Anne Dragone. “The Board determined that the new structure avoids the perception of any conflict of interest related to business conducted at members meetings such as the Annual Meeting.”

Membership remains free and renewable on an annual basis. FST’s corporate membership policy was also revised to reflect this change.

Details on membership and application form are available here.

Spring is in the air and a new season brings the opportunity to join one of Family Service Toronto’s several virtual workshops or groups.

Among the virtual groups open for registration are Emotional Self-Regulation, a six-week fee-based group starting April 10 for individuals interested in learning strategies to reduce anxiety and distress.

Also offered virtually starting April 25 for free is Nervous System Reset, which will provide participants with body-based grounding techniques and trauma-informed yoga instruction to help improve emotional and physical well-being.

Also continuing Mondays this Spring is a free virtual Weekly Meditation Group webinar invitation to engage in a 30-minute guided mindfulness practice.  Each week, a counsellor will lead participants through a meditation and provide information about a weekly topic, such as mindfulness, coping strategies, or understanding emotion.

See our Virtual Workshops and Groups page for current groups and upcoming sessions or call 416-595-9618 weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to book a virtual counselling session.

FST’s Leila Sarangi (Senior Director Strategy and Innovation/National Director of Campaign 2000) and Project Researcher Hannah Barrie will join speakers from Jamaica and the United Kingdom next Thursday (March 13) at a free virtual conference exploring themes of intersection and poverty and their relationship to social problems.

Titled Intersectionality: Is Poverty the Missing Link?, the conference will be of interest to people with lived experience of social work and social care services, social work practitioners, social work students, field instructors, practice educators and social work academics.

The conference is being presented by several academic institutions in Canada and Britain and Leila and Hannah will speak on their work localizing poverty eradication across Canada.

Registration and tickets are available at the following link: Intersectionality: Is Poverty the Missing Link? | Canadian Association of Social Workers

FST’s service users are asked to participate in an online client survey to assist with our 2026-2031 strategic planning process.

FST is working on the plan with two consulting firms – People Minded Business and Sisonke Inc. – which have designed the survey for service beneficiaries.  They hope to gather thoughts and ideas about where FST should focus its work moving forward. These insights will inform FST’s future strategic priorities and related goals.

The final strategic plan will be public and available via FST’s website.

FST clients/service users are asked to provide input through the e-survey by end of day Friday March 14. Please click Surveymonkey to access the survey.

This survey is anonymous, and the information provided will be compiled with other responses. The survey should take five minutes to complete.  
 
Thank you for your time and valuable input. 

February is Black History Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the numerous contributions and achievements of Black Canadians and their communities.

However, it is also a time to reflect on Canada’s painful history and the distinct challenges that Black people in Canada continue to face in their daily lives, such as systemic barriers, racism and discrimination. Family Service Toronto stands in solidarity with Black communities across the country and around the world.

Black History Month also comes as “we are witness to the dismantling of key programs and initiatives to address systemic injustices by our neighbours to the South,” writes FST Executive Director Chris Brillinger in a FST Public Statement. “The attempt to link “Marxism” and equity, diversity and inclusion efforts by some is without honour or honesty.”   

The full statement is posted here.

The 2025 theme for Black History Month is: Black Legacy and Leadership: Celebrating Canadian History and Uplifting Future Generations.

In December of 1995, Canada’s Parliament recognized February as Black History Month following a motion introduced by Jean Augustine, the first African Canadian woman elected to Parliament.

Many web resources are available to learn about the history of peoples of African descent in Canada. Start your journey here:  Significant events in Black history in Canada – Canada.ca

Family Service Toronto congratulates Executive Director Chris Brillinger on his Jan. 14, 2025 election as Vice Chair of the Toronto Police Service Board (TPSB).

“I have come to understand just how important the work of the Toronto Police Service Board is in my time as a member,” said Chris, who was appointed to the Board in June 2024. “The Toronto Police Service is complex and multi-faceted requiring an engaged Police Service Board providing effective governance oversight.”

“I appreciate and respect the work of service, civilian and command colleagues and am eager to continue to support the modernization of the Toronto Police Service,” he added. “A key priority is to see the Board develop an effective and measurable strategic plan by which the public can hold both the Board and the Service accountable.”

He was appointed to the Board by the City of Toronto for a two-year term ending November 14, 2026.

Chris joined FST as Executive Director in August 2019 after 31 years of exemplary leadership and dedication to Toronto public service including his role as the city’s Executive Director of Social Development, Finance and Administration. 

The TPSB’s primary role is to set objectives and priorities for the effective provision of the City’s police services.

A new month and new year brings the opportunity to join one of Family Service Toronto’s several Winter virtual workshops or groups.

Among the virtual groups open for registration are Co-parenting: Embracing the Ebbs and Flows (sliding scale fee) for parents wanting to develop an understanding of healthy co-parenting strategies, Developmental Disabilities Resource Workshop for families and community members interested in learning more about the sector and El Camino a Casa, a weekly program for Spanish-speaking seniors who want to speak about the experience of immigration to Canada.

Our David Kelley Services Program is also offering a free Wellness Group for self-identified male (18 +) survivors of sexual abuse who seek support to deal with the impact of unwanted sexual experiences, whether recent or from years ago.

Counselling and group sessions by phone have also resumed for the new year.

See our Virtual Workshops and Groups page for current groups and upcoming sessions or call 416-595-9618 weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to book a virtual counselling session.

Best wishes for a safe and joyous holiday season and a happy new year from everyone at Family Service Toronto.

FST offices will operate on regular business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 23-24, and 30-31. Offices will be closed Dec. 25-26 and reopen Dec. 27. Offices will be closed Jan. 1, 2025, and resume regular business hours Jan. 2.

FST’s Virtual Walk-in Clinic will be open Dec. 23 and closed from Dec. 24 through Jan. 2, 2025. The clinic will resume regular operations Friday, Jan. 3.

FST’s weekly Thursday In-person Single Session Walk-in at 355 Church Street will be closed Dec. 26 and Jan 2. It will resume regular operations Jan. 9.

Please note the Victoria Park Hub will be closed Dec. 23 to Jan 3 and reopen Jan. 6, 2025.

If you are in crisis during the holiday period, please call:

Distress Centre – 416-408-HELP (4357)

Assaulted Women’s Helpline – 416-863-0511 or 1-866-863-0511

Gerstein Centre – Crisis line 416-929-5200 

Community Information and Toronto Community Crisis 211 or go to 211Toronto.ca

Canada has received a failing grade in the 2024 Disability Poverty Report Card for its inadequate efforts to address disability poverty.

The  2^nd annual report card, released Dec. 3 in in recognition of the International Day for Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), was co-authored by the advocacy group Disability Without Poverty and Campaign 2000, a non-partisan, pan-Canadian network of 120 national, provincial and community partner organizations committed to working to end child and family poverty, hosted by Family Service Toronto.

The report underscores how current measures fail to address the root causes of disability poverty in Canada and highlights the urgent need to strengthen the Canada Disability Benefit to ensure it delivers meaningful support and significantly reduces poverty among people with disabilities.

“Today’s report card underscores the failure of the federal government to address disability poverty,” said Rabia Khedr, National Director of Disability Without Poverty. “A $200 Canada Disability Benefit is inadequate. We are calling on the government to triple the benefit in 2025. This will be a better start toward ending disability poverty.”

The report card finds people with disabilities experience disproportionately higher rates of poverty. There is a trend across most indicators of rising poverty rates and deeper levels of poverty in 2021 and 2022 after significant reductions in 2020.

Visit https://www.disabilitywithoutpoverty.ca/ to read the full report card and principles/recommendations.

Friday (Dec. 6) is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women to recognize the 14 women killed and those injured 35 years ago at l’Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal.

It is a day to pay tribute to the memory of the murdered women and others who have experienced or who have died because of gender-based violence (GBV) and reminds us that we must continue our important work to eliminate GBV and bring hope to all those impacted by it.

It is also a reminder of the work of our Violence Against Women program and its current social media postings aligned with the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign which started Nov. 25 and runs until Tuesday (Dec. 10) – International Human Rights Day.

Our VAW team is highlighting client voices on our social media channels every day of the campaign. Clients are sharing their thoughts anonymously on what they would like to advocate for in the fight against gender-based violence. 

Check out the campaign on X (formerly Twitter),  Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn

Use the #IWouldLikeToAdvocateFor to share your support for the campaign.

It is every woman’s fundamental right to live and feel safe in her home and community, and to have the freedom to make choices that are best for herself and her dependents.   As we continue to engage, fight against violence, and advocate for systemic changes, we want to uplift the voices of our clients who have lived experience, and to support them in sustaining a life free from threats and acts of violence.  

The 2023-24 Annual Femicide List prepared by the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses (OAITH) reports 62 women and children were killed through gender-based violence between Nov. 26, 2023 and Nov. 25, 2024.

Read statement on Women and Gender Equality Canada