The Social Justice and Advocacy Consultant, together with the Social Justice and Advocacy Committee, coordinates and advances the public witness of our Diocese on issues of social and ecological justice. We seek to be faithful to God’s call to compassion and justice, live out our baptismal vows, and engage faithfully with the world.
Our work connects with the Cast the Net Calls to Action, particularly:
- Call #4: Recognize and act on opportunities to participate in God’s healing work in the world
- Call #5: Make explicit connections between following Jesus and working for justice and peace
- Call #8: Intensify advocacy and action in response to the climate crisis
- Call #13: Enable and celebrate the work of ministries focused on service to the world
We also support those in the Diocese working on Call #6 (Strengthen Indigenous ministry; engage non-Indigenous Anglicans in reconciliation work) and Call #7 (Take, sustain and communicate actions that promote diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism).
To learn more or get involved, contact Elin Goulden, Social Justice & Advocacy Consultant, at egoulden@toronto.anglican.ca or 416-363-6021 (1-800-668-8932).
Get started with our Social Justice and Advocacy Parish Outreach Guide
Find the NEW 2024-25 Outreach and Advocacy Prayer Cycle on the Prayer Resources page
Read our Social Justice Vestry Motion for 2025, “Protecting and Expanding Harm Reduction in Ontario.”
What’s new:
Prepare for the Federal Election on April 28, 2025
A federal election has been called for Monday, April 28, 2025. Visit Elections Canada to find out where and when you can vote, voter ID requirements, and the names of official candidates in your riding.
Elections offer us the opportunity to discern what kind of nation we want to build together. How might our Christian values and faith commitments shape our national public life, especially in this time of economic and geopolitical uncertainty?
We have compiled a Federal Election Resource to help you consider these values in the light of some of the key social and ecological justice issues facing us in Canada. Thanks to the Social Justice & Advocacy Committee and its subcommittees, the Bishop’s Committee on Creation Care, and the Diocesan Right Relations Coordinator for their contributions and advice.
Download our Federal Election Resource (PDF)
Municipal: Support Neighbourhood Shelters in Toronto
More than 12,000 people are homeless and living in shelters in Toronto. But many others – an average of 273 per night – are turned away each night, unable to find a bed. Still others find large shelters traumatizing or unsafe. As a result, we are seeing an incredible surge in visible homelessness, as people resort to living in encampments under bridges, in ravines and public parks, even on the sidewalk – all across the City of Toronto.
Everyone deserves permanent housing they can afford. But until that housing is built, people deserve safe, decent shelter options that they can actually access.
The City of Toronto has a plan to create new, small-scale (50-80 people) shelters in neighbourhoods across Toronto. These sites have been selected to meet by-law, sizing, and budget requirements, and to be accessible to transit and local services. Each shelter will be designed to integrate into the local community and with the capacity to be converted into permanent housing in the future. (Learn more about the City’s plan here.)
People experiencing homelessness are our neighbours, whom Jesus calls us to love. They come from, and live in, every part of our city – not just the downtown core.
As Christians, we can support our unhoused neighbours by standing up for local shelters. You can speak up at a public meeting, sign a petition of support to the local councillor, and display a sticker or lawn sign to let others know you support shelters in your neighbourhood. Learn more about ways to support here.
Provincial: Following Up on 2025 Ontario Election
Thanks to all who used our Provincial Election Resource in preparing for the February 27, 2025 election. While we know the overall outcome of the election, the names and contact information of the successful candidates for MPP have not yet been uploaded to the Ontario Legislative Assembly website. As well, the margin of victory in two ridings (Mississauga-Erin Mills and Mushkegowuk-James Bay) is under 25 votes, which will trigger an official recount in those ridings.
Premier Ford is expected to name his cabinet on March 19, 2025. At that time we will be sending welcome letters to the cabinet ministers as well as to any new MPPs.
What we do
We facilitate communications between the diocesan and suffragan bishops and various levels of government. We also educate, equip and support parishes and individual Anglicans in advocacy on social and ecological justice.
Priorities
Our ongoing social justice work is focused on three priority areas:
Other areas of concern, where we support the work of other church ministries, include:
Some of our key activities include:
- the annual social justice vestry motion
- the annual Outreach & Advocacy Conference
- the Outreach & Advocacy Prayer Cycle
- promoting events and advocacy campaigns through our newsletter and Facebook page
- providing advocacy resources and support for parishes