In 2025, we joined the 2023 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholars, Mentors, and invited guests in Toronto for a dynamic and interdisciplinary workshop focused on health systems transformation. The day brought together diverse perspectives — from public health professionals and community organizers to researchers and policymakers — all committed to reshaping how health systems function and serve people across Canada and beyond.
While our work spans a wide range of health and systems issues, several key themes emerged throughout the day. These common threads point to both shared challenges and collective possibilities for the future of health systems.
Common Challenges, Shared Insights
One of the most prominent takeaways was the recognition that many of us, regardless of our specific focus areas, encounter similar roadblocks. These include:
The “Pilot Project” Trap: Too often, promising initiatives remain stuck in small-scale, temporary phases, without the support or momentum to scale into long-term system change.
Centralized Responses: While centralized systems can be efficient in some contexts, they often lack the flexibility to respond effectively to local needs and lived realities.
Funding Constraints: Inconsistent or limited funding remains a significant barrier, especially when working toward innovative or community-driven approaches.
These patterns suggest a deeper need to rethink how systems are structured and who they are designed to serve.
The Power of Community-Led Transformation
A resounding message throughout the workshop was the importance of enabling communities to take the lead in transforming health systems. Scholars, practitioners, and institutional leaders must be prepared to follow the lead of those with lived experience, cultural knowledge, and community-rooted expertise.
This means embracing:
Radical ways of knowing and doing, including Indigenous and non-Western knowledge systems;
Shifts in discourse, where language, values, and narratives better reflect community realities;
New approaches to change, starting from the grassroots rather than being imposed top-down.
Transformation does not come from replication alone—it comes from reimagination.
Storytelling as a Tool and a Responsibility
The day also highlighted the power of storytelling in advancing change. Personal stories can bring systems issues to life, challenge dominant narratives, and mobilize communities. However, there is also an ethical imperative to protect both the storytellers and the knowledge they share.
Participants emphasized the importance of:
Seeking consent and honoring the intent behind shared experiences;
Avoiding the extraction or commodification of stories;
Ensuring that stories are not only heard but acted upon in meaningful ways.
Looking Ahead
The Poverty Task Force continues this journey, we remain committed to fostering collaboration, challenging norms, and co-creating more equitable and responsive health systems.
We are excited about our upcoming RentSafe Owen Sound Collaboration gathering which will center the grounded expertise of our Community Voices and the work in collaboration with the Community Impact Lab and RentSafe Ontario on Climate Resilience in Low-Income Rental Housing.
On July 27th, Owen Sound City Council approved a new Vital Services By-law and updates to the Property Standards By-law addressing mould and pests.
For those involved with RentSafe Owen Sound, this is an important milestone in work underway for several years to better understand rental housing conditions and find collaborative solutions that support healthy, safe and affordable housing.
The Vital Services By-law establishes clearer responsibilities for landlords to ensure tenants have essential services, including heat, hot and cold water, electricity, gas and, where required under a lease, air conditioning. It also gives the City tools to investigate complaints and to take action when the loss of a vital service creates a health or safety concern.
The surveys provided an important opportunity to hear from both sides of the rental housing relationship. 545 tenants responded to the tenant survey, representing an estimated 28% of rental units in Owen Sound. The landlord survey included 36 landlords/property managers responsible for nearly 800 units, estimated at approximately 40% of the local rental market.
What we heard demonstrated that housing quality is a shared concern.
RentSafe tenant survey respondents identified significant concerns with temperature, pests, water leaks, mould and indoor air quality.
Among tenant respondents, 73% reported pests/insects other than bedbugs, 71% reported their unit being too hot or too cold, 62% reported water leaks and 47% reported mould. Sixty percent reported anxiety related to the physical condition of their unit.
Landlords also identified challenges maintaining rental properties, including finding contractors, gaining access to units for repairs, maintenance costs and communication with tenants.
Importantly, tenants and landlords identified many of the same housing quality concerns, including temperature control, windows, plumbing and water leaks, pests and bedbugs, and mould. Read the full report here.
We Are All Neighbours
One of the strongest messages from the research was that tenants can feel trapped while landlords can feel stuck.
For tenants, rising rents and limited housing options can make it difficult to leave unhealthy housing. For landlords, maintaining Owen Sound’s older rental housing stock can involve significant costs and challenges.
This is why RentSafe’s work focuses on bringing people together rather than placing responsibility for our housing challenges on one group.
RentSafe seeks solutions that recognize the experiences of tenants and landlords while protecting Owen Sound’s existing affordable rental housing.
What Did RentSafe Recommend?
In 2024, RentSafe presented 3 immediate recommendations to the City.
1. Better rental housing data. We recommended collecting information on habitability issues identified through by-law and fire inspections—including mould, pests, water leaks and broken windows—to better understand conditions in Owen Sound’s older rental housing stock.
2. Clearer standards for mould. We recommended incorporating Ontario’s model mould by-law language into Owen Sound’s Property Standards By-law. The City’s new updates addressing mould and pests represent important progress on an issue identified through the RentSafe research.
3. Support landlords and tenants. We invited the City to be part of solutions that help landlords maintain healthy rental properties while improving effective landlord-tenant relationships. During a housing crisis, we need new affordable housing—but we also need to protect and improve the affordable rental housing we already have.
The Next Question: Extreme Heat
During Council’s July 27th discussion, the question of a “right to cooling” and maximum indoor temperatures was raised. This connects directly with the RentSafe findings: 71% of tenant respondents reported their unit being too hot or too cold.
Under Owen Sound’s new Vital Services By-law, landlords must provide a minimum temperature of 20°C from September 15th to May 31st. Under Section 11-C of the prepared by-law a maximum indoor temperature of 26C is in place, if the lease indicates an air-conditioner and landlords are required to ensure suitable cool air in a unit. Bylaw can charge the landlord if they don’t repair an existing air conditioner and/or if they remove it.
There is a new provision in the Residential Tenancy Act effective July 1st, 2026, regarding air conditioning, maintenance and repairs as well as utility charges. Tenants are permitted to install a window or portable air conditioner, even where a lease prohibits it, as long as it meets the prescribed conditions and notifies the landlord in writing. Seasonal rent increases may be applied by landlords to cover electrical costs.
There are currently no by-laws in Ontario, that require all units to have permanent cooling systems. This would require a retrofit or renovations of buildings which would impact the availability and affordability of rental units in the City. The cities of Toronto and Hamilton are currently researching a Maximum Heat By-Law and the City of Owen Sound will monitor these initiatives.
This opens an important next conversation for RentSafe.
Healthy Housing Is Also a Climate Issue
Extreme heat increasingly intersects with the issues RentSafe has been working on for years: housing quality, affordability, health and equity.
Older rental buildings can be particularly challenging. Aging windows, inadequate ventilation and limited cooling can increase exposure to extreme temperatures. At the same time, major retrofits can be expensive.
The challenge is finding solutions that improve tenant health and climate resilience without contributing to displacement or the loss of affordable rental housing.
The 2024 RentSafe Owen Sound work identified three interconnected challenges: unit quality concerns, lack of trust and communication, and lack of satisfaction with the rental housing system. It also pointed toward longer-term opportunities, including proactive inspections, stronger community involvement and measures to preserve affordable rental housing.
The adoption of stronger mould, pest and Vital Services standards demonstrates how local research, community collaboration and municipal leadership can translate into action.
As we build on this work, our next question is:
What does healthy, safe, affordable and climate-resilient rental housing look like for Owen Sound?
The Poverty Task Force and our RentSafe partners will continue working with tenants, landlords, the City and community partners to explore this question. Together with RentSafe Ontario we will come together next on September 29th to discuss climate resiliency and rental housing.
Navigating retirement income, government benefits, taxes and community supports can be complicated—especially for seniors living on a limited income. The Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force has launched two new webpages that bring practical, trustworthy information together in one accessible place.
Income available through CPP, OAS, GIS, GAINS, pensions, employment and savings
How taxes, tax credits, RRSPs and TFSAs can affect retirement income
Why conventional financial advice may not work for seniors with low income
How to protect benefits and avoid unexpected taxes or GIS reductions
The companion Resources for Seniors with Low Income page connects seniors, families and service providers with free tax clinics, utility and energy assistance, housing supports, legal services, benefit-navigation tools, dental coverage information and local services available through 211.
Approximately 5,500 to 5,800 seniors or 12.3% of seniors in Grey and Bruce Counties live on a low income. Despite Canada’s public pension system, many seniors continue to struggle with housing costs, food affordability, transportation, and other essential expenses, particularly women living alone and seniors who rely primarily on Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS).
Supporting seniors to access the income and benefits they are entitled to not only improves individual well-being but also strengthens communities as a whole.
These new pages are intended to make complicated information easier to understand and help older adults receive the income, benefits and services to which they are entitled.
Whether you are approaching retirement, already retired, helping a family member or supporting seniors through your work, these pages offer a practical place to begin. Explore the resources—and share them with someone who may benefit.
We recognize the ongoing impact of the almost 200 wildfires in Northern Ontario right now. Thirteen communities have had to evacuate their homes, with First Nations being disproportionately being affected. Attached are mental health resources compiled by Women’s College Hospital Indigenous Health.
Across Canada, the impacts of climate change are becoming more visible. Beyond floods, wildfires, and rising temperatures, many people are carrying fear, grief, exhaustion, and a deep sense of uncertainty about the future. These emotional realities are becoming more common, but they are still rarely named or addressed in formal climate action spaces.
In Bow Valley, Alberta, the Active Hope: Navigating Climate Grief & Anxiety workshops offered a different way forward. Led by the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley, with support from the Tamarack Institute, this initiative created welcoming and culturally grounded spaces where people could come together to talk honestly about how climate change feels and what it means for their lives, their communities, and the places they love and call home.
In Grey Bruce, we are feeling the impact of the wildfires on our air quality. Our current work at RentSafe Owen Sound in partnership with RentSafe Ontario explores the feasibility of improving climate resilience in low-income rental housing. Our discussions focus on the impacts of extreme heat, poor air quality, flooding, mould, and other climate-related challenges, as well as opportunities to strengthen existing policies, programs, and partnerships.
CFOS Open Line: Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force joined Stuart Reid, Executive Director, Community Foundation GB and Vital Signs Chair Alanna Leffley on CFOS Open Line to discuss the newly released Vital Signs Report. Together, they explored the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping our communities. The conversation highlights important topics like housing affordability, community well-being, environmental sustainability, and the strength of local partnerships. Listen now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox2OR7UVk8U
HOUSING
City of Owen Sound Agenda: the minutes of the City of Owen Sound Corporate Services Committee from July 9th are on the Agenda for approval of Vital Services By-Law and updates to mould by-laws within Property Standards By-Law on July 27th. These were recommendations put forth by RentSafe Owen Sound to the City in 2024. eSCRIBE Minutes Video of discussion on Vital Services By-Law and strengthening mould by-laws can be found here.
RentSafe Owen Sound Climate Resiliency Roundtable: will be held on Tuesday, September 29th, 12noon to 4:30pm (includes lunch), Community Impact Lab, Sydenham Campus, Owen Sound. This collaborative session will be led by Jessica Flynn, Community Impact Lab and Geri Blinick, RentSafe Ontario/Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and Environment (CPCHE).
Public health professionals, environmental experts, rental housing providers, legal advocates, county planners, landlords, tenants, and community service organizations have been invited to explore the feasibility of improving climate resilience in low-income rental housing in the City of Owen Sound.
Community Outreach and Support Team (COAST): has been awarded funding to extend the work of Bruce County Outreach. They will deliver wraparound support to individuals experiencing substance use challenges and overdose risk. COAST will use real-time data to guide targeted outreach in high-need areas, alongside scheduled community engagement. A mobile medical van will be introduced in the future; however in the interim, the team will operate from a decommissioned and rebranded ambulance. Funding is confirmed through March 31, 2027. Bruce County launches COAST | Bruce County
The Income & Employment Security Action Group met in June to discuss the report in a rural context. Slides and our position paper for the panel presentation are available at: Publications – Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force
Seniors Retiring with Low-Income Education Sessions: John Stapleton, Open Policy Ontario, delivered 2 educational sessions to social service workers on March 4th and 6th. And a 3-part educational series on May 8th, May 22nd and June 5th to seniors.The educational sessions to seniors were delivered through a hybrid model with an online presentation connecting participants across Grey and Bruce Counties at 12 in-person host locations (4 libraries, 1 Indigenous Friendship Centre, 1 community health centre, 2 non-profit organizations, 2 social service agencies) in Grey County (Meaford, Markdale, Dundalk, Hanover, Owen Sound (3), Thornbury) and Bruce County (Kincardine, Port Elgin, Wiarton). The zoom meetings have been converted into training videos and along with the presentation slides are available here.
Maytree Welfare in Canada Report, July 2026, has been released and looks at the total incomes available in 2025 to those relying on social assistance.
FOOD SECURITY
Grey Bruce Food Share Expansion: 40 people from 23 partner organizations involved with the Grey Bruce Food Share/Food Rescue and the Food Security Action Group met on June 26th at the new OSHaRE Food Depot (767 2nd Avenue East, Owen Sound).
Partners learned about the expansion of the food rescue program. There is a new online ordering system which requires new registration, ordering, and reporting.
All organizations accessing the program must register with Second Harvest’s Food Rescue and register with OSHaRE’s online ordering portal.
Contact Colleen Seaman Trask, info@oshare.ca, to receive access to the ordering portal.
Orders online will be reserved for registered organizations, but there will also be a grab-and-go section and sharing boxes at the Food Depot.
Orders will be made on Mondays, the depot closed on Tuesdays to fill orders and Wednesday to Saturday am for organizations to pick-up. Any food not picked up by the next Monday will be returned to the inventory. OSHaRE will also announce Depot Days for clearing out excess food; no ordering required. Organization ID cards will be issued to allow shopping/pickup. It is mandatory to weigh and record all food.
Food Insecurity in Southwestern Ontario: Public health units across the region are concerned about the growing number of households struggling to afford basic needs, including food. In 2024, 1 in 4 households in the Southwestern Ontario region experienced household food insecurity, meaning they did not have reliable access to enough food due to financial challenges (Public Health Ontario, 2025). Rising housing and living costs are forcing many individuals and families to make difficult choices between paying rent and buying groceries. News Releases
ALL CANDIDATES EDUCATION SESSION
The Next Poverty Task Force Meeting will be on Friday, September 18th, 2026, 10am-11:30am and it will be a Poverty 101 Panel presentation/discussion with All Municipal Candidates. A poster and details for the event will be sent out to all candidates. Poverty Task Force Partners are invited to contact Jill Umbach, povertytaskforce@unitedwaybg.com, if you are interested in joining our panel of presenters.
