The Caledon Institute is a social policy think tank. Co-founded by Alan Broadbent (Maytree) and Ken Battle (joined by Sherri Torjman and Michael Mendelson) in 1992, it has grown to become one of the most important organizations in Canada for its role in informing and influencing public opinion and fostering public discussion about poverty and social policy in Canada. After 25 years of remarkable work, Caledon will be closing its doors in December but its impact will live for many years to come.
This brief reflection in no way does justice to the massive contribution that Caledon has made nor does it intend to. The writing of this short article offered me the opportunity to reach out to Ken and Sherri; reflect on their work; and, help me to recognize and integrate the influence of their work on me, The Tamarack Institute and Canada. Collectively, champions of community change in Canada have another 7 months to reach out and to absorb the work of Caledon and recognize its influence on the work of reducing poverty in this country. Do visit the Caledon Institute’s website at: www.caledoninst.org to review for yourself the contribution it has made in its 25 years.
I first met Ken and Sherri at the 10th anniversary gathering of Caledon and was immediately impressed. Alan Broadbent, who was co-founding the Tamarack Institute with me, invited me to attend. Both Ken and Sherri are rigorous in their research and prolific in the number of issues they addressed over the years. Governments at the federal, provincial/territorial and local levels all used Caledon papers to inform their own discussions and the implementation of important social policies.
Caledon became an important partner with Tamarack and the McConnell Family Foundation as co-founders of Vibrant Communities Canada - Cities Reducing Poverty where they led the research and learning component of this national initiative. Their work informed the directions we took and inspired us to think about the important role of local government in poverty reduction.
In a recent interview, I asked Ken and Sherri to reflect on Caledon’s contribution. Ken was most engaged about his work on child benefit reform, which he has worked on throughout his career since the 1970s and certainly during his 25 years at Caledon. (See Child Benefit Reform in Canada: Politic Versus Policy, June 2015 for an important overview of this work.) We spoke at length about his contribution to the development of empirical, fact-based social policy in Canada. His contribution cannot be overstated as his work in no small part shaped one of the most important Child Benefit Programs in place within Canada today. In 2000, he was awarded the Order of Canada (social sciences category) in part for his work on this National Child Benefit.
Sherri’s reflection covered various areas that included her important work to examine the impact of the welfare wall: a term used to describe the obstacles faced by welfare recipients when they enter/re-enter the labour market. This included exploring the link between the welfare wall and a range of interventions including: disability income and supports, and assistance with other essential costs. (See Sherri’s paper Breaking Down the Welfare Wall for an overview of this work.) Sherri’s work has been recognized by numerous groups as well as her ability to be deeply engaging and to speak with tremendous power, credibility and vision. In recognition of her work, Sherri has received the Champion of Human Services Award from the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association in 2011 and also received the Top 25 Canadians Award from the Canadian Association of Retired Persons in 2010.
For me personally, a paper that Caledon released (under Sherri’s authorship) just as we were founding Tamarack has always been particularly influential. It was called Reclaiming our Humanity and I always remember it because this paper was the first time I had seen social policy written in such visionary terms. It deeply influenced me, and in turn the work of Vibrant Communities, for many years to come.
It is hard to imagine a Canada without the powerful voice of the Caledon Institute. Its work matters because social policy matters. Social policy arises from a common understanding of how we, as Canadians, want to care for one another. Thank you so much Ken, Alan, Sherri, Michael, Melanie, Anne and the many associates, volunteers, partners and board members who have supported your important work for a quarter century. Your work and contributions to this country will live on in no small part through the many people you have influenced and inspired. I am proud to consider myself as one of them.
Learn More:
- Visit the Caledon Institute of Social Policy website at www.caledoninst.org
- Discover Reclaming Our Humanity by Sherri Torjman
- Read Breaking Down the Welfare Wall by Sherri Torjman
- Read Child Benefit Reform in Canada: Politic Versus Policy by Ken Battle
