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Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique logoLink to Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique
. 2000 May 1;91(3):181–185. doi: 10.1007/BF03404267

Government Policies as a Threat to Health: Findings from Two Toronto Community Quality of Life Studies

Dennis Raphael 15,✉, Sherry Phillips 25, Rebecca Renwick 35, Hersh Sehdev 45
PMCID: PMC6979984  PMID: 10927844

Abstract

Community members, service providers, and elected representatives in two Toronto communities were asked to identify community factors influencing the health of community members. Many of the identified barriers to health related to government policies and actions. Cutbacks in federal transfers to provinces and provincial cutbacks in funding for agencies, reductions in social assistance, ending of new social housing, and other policy changes were seen as negatively impacting the health of the community and its members. These perceptions were remarkably consistent with emerging findings concerning the determinants of health. Implications for public health practice were considered.

Footnotes

Funding for the Community Quality of Life Project was provided by the Jessie Ball duPont Fund of Jacksonville, Florida.

The Community Quality of Life Project was a partnership of the Lawrence Heights and South Riverdale Community Health Centres and the University of Toronto. The project was carried out with the assistance of the North York and Toronto Departments of Public Health, the Metropolitan Toronto District Health Council, and the Canadian Mental Health Association’s National Office. The North York Community House and the Somaliland Women’s Organization were community collaborators.

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