Ontario Nonprofit Network has published Ontario’s Care Economy: An Assessment of Provincial Care Policy, a digital report and scorecard that analyzes care policy areas related to both unpaid care work and paid care work. There are eight policy areas, each with a set of indicators.
The scoring and analysis reveal that care policies in Ontario are not transformative. This means that policies do not transform the unequal and gendered distribution of care work or correct the devaluation of care and care work. Some care policies meet the immediate needs of Ontarians, but most are unable to reach all demographics, and none of them are designed to address issues of gender inequality, gaps in care, and systemic exclusion.
ONN argues that “We need a careFULL Ontario now. While the crisis in care is urgent, it can be solved with collective action that advances policy solutions for the public good. Valuing care work means investing in structural change and material support, not just performative appreciation or gratitude. Building a careFULL Ontario requires public policy to be care-informed and care-centred, including policies focused on the care economy itself.”