2025 Living Wage Calculation for Niagara
The Ontario Living Wage Network calculation shows that the Living Wage for the economic region including Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk and Niagara is $21.40. This represents a $0.50 cent (2.4%) increase from the 2024 Living Wage for Niagara, which was $20.90. [...]
Increasing Hunger in Niagara: The Need for Action
This research is a follow-up to Dr. Heritz's earlier policy brief on food insecurity in Niagara, focusing, this time, on the importance of congregate meals. This research is a follow-up to Dr. Heritz's earlier policy brief on food insecurity in [...]
Crafting Inclusion within the Beverage-Alcohol Industry
The brief’s findings are based on three studies,* including a survey and interviews, that gathered insights and perspectives from diverse people within the industry on their opinions of EDI in their workplace. The research explores: industry employee perceptions of the [...]
Navigating Generative AI: Implications for small business and non-profits
We’ve been hearing a lot recently about the use of generative AI in our daily lives, whether through social media or in the workplace. This latest research examines the risks and benefits of generative AI for small businesses and non-profits—and [...]
Town of Lincoln Age-Friendly Business Guide
This Guide was developed by the Town of Lincoln Age-Friendly Advisory Committee, to help business owners identify, improve, and promote their age-friendly features. Businesses are encouraged to complete the age-friendly checklist. To further assist business owners, a list of valuable [...]
Food Inflation in Canada: Winners, Losers, and the Path Forward (2019-2025)
This report examines the causes and consequences of food inflation in Canada between 2019 and 2025. The report reveals that the average Canadian food basket cost rose 34 per cent over six years, far outpacing general inflation. The sharp increase has [...]
Youth Volunteering in a Changing Landscape: Insights from the Empathy Engaged Project
The Empathy Engaged project focused on Canadian youth between the ages of 18 and 25. It explored how to create meaningful opportunities for formal youth volunteering, promote a sense of belonging, and build a national strategy for youth volunteerism that [...]
Artworks: The Economic and Social Dividends from Canada’s Arts and Culture Sector
This report shows that Canada’s arts and culture sector contributed $65 billion in direct GDP to the Canadian economy in 2024. The sector grew faster and supported more jobs per dollar than other key sectors like oil and gas, manufacturing [...]
Hunger Count 2025 Report
This Food Banks Canada (FBC) report shows that food insecurity in Canada is growing, and becoming increasingly routine. The report draws on data from more than 5,500 food banks and community organizations across the country, as well as multiple surveys [...]
Navigating the System: A Gender Based Violence Perspective
A new report, Navigating the System: A Gender Based Violence Perspective, has been released, produced by Community Potential, in partnership with the Coalition to End Violence Against Women (CEVAW), a diverse collective voice of organizations from the Niagara region that [...]
Niagara Region Early Years and Child Care Service System Plan 2025-2030
This plan sets a 5-year strategic direction for Niagara Region as a Service System Manager under Ontario’s Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014. The plan aligns with Niagara Region priorities to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and [...]
Directly Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Canada: Canadian Health Measures Survey, 2022 to 2024
This Statistics Canada report shows that four out of five teenagers in Canada are not meeting physical activity recommendations. From 2022 to 2024, only 21 per cent of youth aged 12 to 17 across the country were meeting physical activity [...]
ECE Workforce Knowledge HUB
This website is a national effort to strengthen early learning and child care system-building through workforce-focused policy knowledge. The Hub convenes expertise in educator competencies, professional learning, inclusion, decent work, labour economics, immigration, equity, and knowledge mobilization. The Hub’s role [...]
The Canadian Poverty, Health Equity, and Climate Change Initiative
This initiative aims to improve Canada’s climate change mitigation and adaptation responses as they relate to individuals, families, and communities that are experiencing poverty. Networks of experts, policymakers, and community organizations co-design and provide research, policy, education, and service direction [...]
Opioid Use, Related Harms, and Access to Treatment Among First Nations in Ontario – Update 2013 – 2023
This report shows that opioid-related deaths for First Nations people in Ontario tripled between 2019 and 2022. In 2023, First Nations people in Ontario were 10 times more likely to visit a hospital for opioid-related toxicity than non-First Nations people. [...]
Beyond the Boundaries: The Untold Value of Parks & Recreation Infrastructure
This two-part series explores the untold value of parks and recreation infrastructure in Ontario. Part 1: Infrastructure for Community Wellness examines why investment in parks and recreation infrastructure is prudent economic, health and social policy. This investment is critical to [...]
2024 ParticipACTION Children and Youth Report Card
Rallying for Resilience; Keeping Children and Youth Active in a Changing Climate is the 2024 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. It reveals higher grades than the 2022 edition in some areas, including overall physical activity [...]
211 Ontario Business Intelligence Dashboard
211 is a free and confidential service that easily connects people to the critical social and community supports they need. The 211 Ontario Business Intelligence Dashboard allows users to visualize 211 call data. Filters include: County/Region, City, Age Category, Gender [...]
Niagara Labour Market Insights August 2025
In August 2025, the unemployment rate increased in Niagara, while labour force participation remained stagnant, and the employment rate declined. These trends mostly mirrored provincial and national trends. Similar to July, individuals in the youth age bracket saw their employment [...]
2024 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth
Rallying for Resilience; Keeping Children and Youth Active in a Changing Climate is the 2024 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. It reveals higher grades than the 2022 edition in some areas, including overall physical activity [...]
