Centre for Independent Living in Toronto - CILT Inc.

03/05/2026

Yesterday, March 3, the Federal Housing Advocate renewed calls to action to highlight the need for ALL goverfnments to prioritize:

Long-term federal investments and leadership for human rights-based responses to encampments

Meaningful consultation with Indigenous Peoples and investing in preventing and responding to Indigenous homelessness

Meaningful engagement with people living in encampments

Ending forced encampment evictions and criminalization of homelessness

These renewed calls to action, initially outlined in the Advocate's 2024 report, build on the work and engagements that have taken place since – including what she has heard are critical issues from municipalities, encampments residents, service providers, and Indigenous representative organizations.initially outlined in the Advocate's 2024 report:https://www.chrc-ccdp.gc.ca/sites/default/files/documents/final-report-federal-housing-advocate-s-review-of-encampments_0.pdf

https://www.chrc-ccdp.gc.ca/resources/newsroom/two-years-after-landmark-report-renewed-action-needed-homelessness-continues

02/27/2026

To close out Black History Month, CILT is honouring historical and contemporary Black disabled figures that have fought for liberation. The Disability Rights movement was inspired by the Civil Rights movement, so it's important to understand how these movements intersect.

Harriet Tubman often has her disability erased when she is remembered but she incurred a traumatic brain injury as a child and experienced neurological symptoms like seizures and narcolepsy. Sins Invalid often cites her as an early initiator of Disability Justice.

Brad Lomax was both a civil rights and disability rights activist. He began using a wheelchair after he was diagnosed with MS. He was a member of the Black Panther Party and helped organize during the 504 sit-ins.

Sarah Jama is a Hamilton-based disabled activist and politician. She is a co-founder the Disability Justice Network of Ontario and was the MPP for Hamilton Centre from 2023-2025.

Gift Tshuma is a Montreal-based R&B gospel musician and disability advocate. He is a co-founder of Tshuma Consulting and has been developing an adaptive digital instrument.

Syrus Marcus Ware is a disabled artist and activist. He is an Assistant Professor at the School of Arts, McMaster University and a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Canada and the Wildseed Centre for Art & Activism.

To learn more about the intersection of Blackness and Disability, check out our Black History Month Resource page: https://cilt.ca/cilt-resources/black-history-month-resources/

02/24/2026

Part 2/2: A rally speech from David Meyers, CILT's Senior Manager of Independent Living Programs, with the following asks for City Council:

Provide more transparency in City budgets and reporting on disability inclusion.

Build all new City-supported housing to universal design standards.

Commit to the City building at least 50% of the new shelter stock in its multi-year plan to universal design standards.

Direct Toronto Shelter and support services to expedite its shelter accessibility audit and produce a budgeted plan for accessibility upgrades to some sites.

02/24/2026

Part 1/2: A rally speech from David Meyers, CILT's Senior Manager of Independent Living Programs, advocating for accessible and affordable housing supports.

02/23/2026

For Black History Month, CILT has compiled a list of resources about the intersections of Blackness and disability. It includes organizations, research, books, articles, videos and podcasts. Here's a small selection of what's on it!

Book: “Black Disability Politics” by Sami Schalk (Open Access Available). In this book, Sami Schalk explores how issues of disability have been and continue to be central to Black activism from the 1970s to the present.

Podcast: You Can’t Spell Inclusion with a D, Episode 39: The Intersection of Disability, Blackness and Gender — Intersectionality Series Pt. 1. The guest for this episode is Ingrid Palmer, a human rights advocate and the Principal IDEAL Advocate for Realize Canada.

Video: Combating Oppression as Black, Disabled People in Toronto | CILT's Black History Month Event. Last year, CILT hosted a panel discussion around the theme of Resistance and Resilience for Black History Month 2025. Check out the recording!

Report: The Intersection of Blackness & Disability in Canada by Jheanelle M. Anderson. This report came out of a need to acknowledge the gaps in culturally responsive services for Black Canadians with disabilities.

Check out the rest of the resources here: https://cilt.ca/cilt-resources/black-history-month-resources/

02/19/2026

Brand new Eglinton Crosstown line, yet same old TTC that treats riders with disabilities as an after thought.

In this CityNews Toronto story, Emily, a wheelchair user user with low vision who relies on the TTC, takes us on a tour and points out a myriad of accessibility and safety failures that show a systemic disregard for disabled transit riders. With over 570,000 disabled residents, Toronto must do far better at providing accessible transit!

With more people using Line 5 Eglinton, navigating the new LRT system is proving difficult for some Toronto residents. Nick Westoll has more on some serious ...

02/19/2026

Yesterday, CILT staff met for to share what it means to work in the nonprofit sector and how teams support each other toward common goals.

CILT is one of 58,000 nonprofits in Ontario playing an essential role in supporting our communities! The desire to uplift each other and the community drives the work we do.

This , let’s celebrate the incredible contributions of Ontario’s nonprofits and the vital role they play in building a vibrant, inclusive province!

02/18/2026

This , let’s celebrate the incredible contributions of Ontario’s nonprofits and the vital role they play in building a vibrant, inclusive province!

02/17/2026

Here's "Queerly Canadian's" Shoutout to Syrus Marcus Ware in honour of Black History Month in Canada. Ware is a celebrated Black q***r trans artist and scholar who also identifies as having a disability and has long centered disability justice in their work.

Canada

02/17/2026

For Black History Month, CILT is highlighting resources, organizations and people that we can learn from about the intersection of Blackness and disability. Today we're spotlighting some organizations that are doing great work advocating for Black disabled communities.

The Ase Community Foundation is a national Black-led, Black-serving, and Black-focused organization rooted in Disability Justice, Black feminism, and decolonization. Ase leads the National Black Disabiity Coalition, national movement that centers Black disabled voices and expertise to drive systemic change. https://asecommunityfoundation.com/coalition

Black Mental Health Canada is an organization with the mission to improve the mental health and well-being of Black individuals and communities in Canada by advocating for culturally competent mental health services and promoting community education and empowerment. https://blackmentalhealth.ca/

Race and Disability Canada is an innovative initiative dedicated to exploring and tackling the intersections of race and disability. https://racedisability.ca/resources

The Disability Justice Network of Ontario is an organization that also supports intersectionality and develops projects that support Black and racialized disabled people in Ontario. https://www.djno.ca/

We encourage you to check these organizations out and to head to our Black History Month resources page for more recommendations for more learning: https://cilt.ca/cilt-resources/black-history-month-resources/

02/13/2026

Final 2026 City Budget Makes Targeted Investments in key services.

On February 10, Toronto City Council debated and voted on amendments to the Mayor's 2026 City Budget. Together with disabled residents and many community partners, CILT fought for a city budget that adequately funded disability inclusive city services as a human right

Here is a link to Social Planning Toronto's breakdown of the budget's key targeted service investments.

Final 2026 City Budget Makes Targeted Investments in Key Services Home Blog Final 2026 City Budget Makes Targeted Investments in Key Services February 10, 2026 On February 10, Toronto City Council met for final budget votes on the 2026 City Budget. Members of Council debated and voted on amendments....

02/12/2026

We were honoured to join with community voices at yesterday's FUND THE BUDGET Rally outside Toronto City Hall.

CILT and the GTA Disability Coalition were one of 12 community speakers advocating for city council to fund our city's services and make No Cuts to the Mayor's 2026 Budget. We specifically called for transparent and deeper disability inclusion spending and bold action by the city on building accessible housing and shelters. City Council voted for the Mayor's Budget with no cuts- a small win!

Shoutout to Social Planning Toronto, lead organizer of the rally!

Here are some rally scenes and signs!

Alt Text: 7 photos of rally crowd scenes, some of them showing participants holding signs, and others showing rally speakers. One photo is of council chambers with a view of seated councillors.