Reports

June 2019: Drawn Together for a Purpose

Canvas, CivicAction’s 2019 Summit, was not only a huge event itself, but it also marked a period that saw 1200 civic designers, artists and collaborators from all sectors generate nearly 800 ideas to set our new action plan for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).

The day was centred on five of the pressing urban challenges in the GTHA: getting ready for the future of work, tackling housing affordability, preparing for extreme weather, preventing sex trafficking, and unlocking inclusive leadership.

Drawn Together for a Purpose gives a snapshot into Canvas and its related activities, from who was in the room to the key themes that emerged from discussions, and what’s ahead for Team Action.

Download Drawn Together for a Purpose

December 2018: Now Hiring: The Skills Companies Want that Young Canadians Need

65% of kids entering primary school today will hold jobs that don’t exist yet. So what can we do to help young people understand the changing nature of work, and make it easier for employers to find talent?

CivicAction partnered with LinkedIn Canada and Knockri, to create Now Hiring: The Skills Companies Want that Young Canadians Need, a report that provides new insights into the future of work in Canada and provides a potential roadmap forward for youth, employers and governments. Now Hiring also compares three markets across Canada—Vancouver, Ottawa and Halifax—to help map out what is happening across the country.

November 2018: Taking Action – Impact Report 2018

From tackling youth unemployment to building a pipeline of diverse leaders to improving workplace mental health, 2018 has been a year of action for both CivicAction and the CivicAction Leadership Foundation.

But action is a team sport, and we’ve been fortunate to work with a full roster of partners who help us achieve our vision of a region that works for all of its residents. Our thanks to everyone who has helped get us closer to this vision over the past year.

December 2017: Leaders Live Here – Impact Report 2017

CivicAction’s vision is to create a region where everyone recognizes that they have a role to play in our collective success and is taking action to shape a better future. The CivicAction Leadership Foundation supports this work by harnessing the power of diverse leaders to build strong, dynamic and inclusive cities.

In 2017 we spent the year making impact–from activating rising leaders to moving the needle on workplace mental health and youth unemployment–we’re thrilled to share the full results of our work. Thank you to the incredible network of supporters who make all of our work possible.

July 2017: Blueprints for Action: Minimizing Homeowner Flood Risk in the GTHA

In 2013, Toronto witnessed dramatic flooding brought on by a powerful summer storm. It overwhelmed local sewer infrastructure and flooded homes and basements, leaving $1 billion in insured property damage and allocated loss adjustment expenses.

Since then, homeowners have taken little action. According to a survey completed for Public Safety Canada, 74% of Canadians have not protected their homes from flooding and 54% were not concerned about flooding in their area.

In response to these findings, CivicAction and the Insurance Bureau of Canada convened organizations from across sectors to discuss strategies in a regional forum to engage and activate Toronto region homeowners to minimize their vulnerability to flood risk.

This report outlines key collaborations and ideas coming out of the forum that can motivate GTHA residents to better prepare themselves for home basement flooding.

April 2016: Mental Health in the Workplace – Let’s Make it Happen

With research partners Morneau Shepell and the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis, we’ve learned the scope of how mental health impacts the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area labour force. Along with this powerful data, we’re calling on employers and colleagues to take simple steps now to better support co-workers. 

December 2015: Over the Finish Line – Race, Reduce, Repeat 

This final report tells the story of the Race to Reduce, the final results, and shares energy conservation best practices for creating sustainable change within Canada’s office sector.

The report also includes tips and tools for launching a voluntary energy reduction challenge in your own city.

June 2015: Better City Bootcamp – Jumping Into Action, Boots on the Ground

The 2015 CivicAction Summit: Better City Bootcamp was an intense, action-oriented day that convened close to 1,000 leaders to set the regional agenda for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) over the next four years. Better City Bootcamp looked at five foundational issues at the core of the health and resilience of our people and communities – infrastructure, public space, mental health, affordable housing, and childhood health.

Spring 2014: Remarkable Alliances-Changing the Energy Conversation within Canada’s Office Sector

This report chronicles the initial stages of our journey to transforming the energy conversation in the commercial office sector through the Race to Reduce. 

May 2013: Our Region, Our Move: Accelerating investment in our transportation network

On April 17, 2013, 300 civic leaders from across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) convened at the CivicAction Forum: Our Region, Our Move. The event marked a milestone in CivicAction’s Your32 campaign and in our region’s efforts to tackle its traffic congestion crisis.

January 2011: The Living City Report Card-An assessment of the environmental health of the Greater Toronto area

Greening Greater Toronto and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) collaborated to produce this independent, unique analysis of the drivers that influence the GTA’s environmental performance, assesses where we’re making progress, sets out short and long-term targets, and assigns grades by rating current environmental conditions against the long-term targets. It goes on to identify opportunities for action by GTA leaders, organizations and residents.

July 2008: Greening Greater Toronto

At the Toronto City Summit Alliance’s 2007 Toronto City Summit, over 600 leaders from across the GTA called for a regional environmental vision that could build on existing efforts and leadership: Greening Greater Toronto was the result. This report represents a roadmap towards a greener region, one that can build on existing initiatives and help harness our strengths to get us there. 

May 2006: Time for a Fair Deal

The Task Force on Modernizing Income Security for Working-Age Adults was formed in the fall of 2004 by the Toronto City Summit Alliance (now CivicAction) and by St. Christopher House, a multi-service neighbourhood centre that works with low income people in Toronto. All of the Task Force members are united in a belief that the current income security system is broken, and that all orders of government must come to the table to secure the needed reforms.

April 2003: Enough Talk-An Action Plan for the Toronto Region

The Toronto City Summit Alliance (now CivicAction) was formed to address the challenges the first Toronto City Summit identified as critical to our shared future– finance, infrastructure, education, immigration and the underlying health of our regional economy. This report highlights key issues facing the region and outlines an action plan where progress can be made quickly.