Canada’s affordability crisis, driven by rising housing, food, transportation and education costs, is reshaping access to opportunity. Its impact is increasingly visible among high school students in low-income communities, where financial strain limits access to academic supports, mentorship and basic learning resources. As more students take on work to support their families, their ability to fully engage in school is diminished. Without reliable support systems in place, graduating and planning for post-secondary education or careers becomes less certain, widening existing gaps and challenging the promise of upward mobility.
On September 15th, join The Globe and Mail for an event on how Canada’s affordability crisis is reshaping opportunity and who it is leaving behind. Experts will explore what’s changed, how rising costs are widening inequality and consider the role of institutions and leaders in building more equitable pathways to future success.
Pathways to Education is a national, charitable organization breaking the cycle of poverty through education. Its award-winning program creates positive social change by supporting youth living in low-income communities to overcome barriers to education, graduate from high school, and build the foundation for a successful future. Through the collective power of partnerships, Pathways to Education’s innovative program is preparing youth for tomorrow.
Learn more at www.pathwaystoeducation.ca
TERMS & CONDITIONSÂ Â Â |Â Â PRIVACY POLICYÂ |Â ACCESSIBILITY POLICYÂ Â |Â Â GLOBEANDMAIL.COM
Owen Charters is President and CEO of Pathways to Education Canada. An accomplished nonprofit executive, he has previously led several national organizations, including BGC Canada and CanadaHelps. He serves on multiple boards and advisory committees, including Common Good, the School for Advanced Studies in the Arts and Humanities at Western University, the National Alliance for Children and Youth. As a lifelong baseball fan, he also serves on the board of Baseball Canada. He continually advocates for a stronger nonprofit sector voice in Canadian policy, and is frequently sought as a speaker, author, and lecturer on issues facing the charitable and nonprofit sector.
Kelly Grant is The Globe and Mail's postsecondary education reporter.
Kelly's career in journalism began in high school, when she worked as a night and weekend tape editor at her local television station in London, Ont. She's been hooked on reporting ever since. After earning a Bachelor of Journalism degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, Kelly worked as a cop reporter and editorial writer at the Windsor Star and as a general assignment writer and Toronto city hall reporter at The National Post.
She joined The Globe and Mail in 2008. Kelly has held a variety of posts at The Globe, including Toronto editor and Toronto City Hall bureau chief. She was The Globe’s national health reporter for 12 years. During that time, she won National Newspaper Awards for beat reporting and investigations, the latter for a probe of a tuberculosis outbreak in Nunavut as part of a year-long project reporting on health care in the territory. She was a finalist for the 2024 Michener Award for public service journalism for an investigation of the for-profit travel nursing industry, written with Tu Thanh Ha and Stephanie Chambers.
When not reporting, Kelly can usually be found at the arena, cheering on her three sons.
Dr. Kwame McKenzie is CEO of Wellesley Institute, which works in research and policy to improve health and health equity in the Greater Toronto Area. A practicing psychiatrist, he also holds positions as a full Professor at the University of Toronto and as Director of Health Equity at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). As an international expert on the social causes of illness and the development of effective, equitable social policy and health services and systems, Dr. McKenzie has advised health, housing, education and social services ministers in Canada and the U.K. and has authored more than 280 peer reviewed papers and six books. He is a member of Canada’s National Advisory Council on Poverty, Co-Chair of Ontario’s Black Health Plan and Chair of the Board of Right to Food. He has also worked as a consultant to the World Health Organization and the World Bank. Dr. McKenzie has been a columnist for The Guardian and The Times and a presenter for BBC Radio, and he is regularly published in the Toronto Star.
Andrea Barrack is Senior Vice President, Sustainability at RBC, responsible for the bank’s sustainability strategy and serves as President of the RBC Foundation, one of Canada’s largest corporate donors. Her mandate includes delivery of measurable societal, employee, brand and business impact through community investments.
Andrea has worked in the sustainability field for most of her career, including serving in senior sustainability roles at TD Bank and Deloitte and as CEO of the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
An active volunteer, Andrea participated on the Board of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, chaired the Dean’s Council at Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University and was an inaugural board member of Ontario Health from 2019 to 2021. She is currently an Executive in Residence at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and teaches in the ESG Certification Program. She also ran for office in the 2022 Ontario provincial election.
Andrea earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at the University of Guelph and a Master of Health Science in Health Administration at the University of Toronto. In 2016, she was named in the Women’s Executive Network Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the Trendsetter and Trailblazer category.
Stephen Mensah is a policy consultant and youth advocate who works with governments, nonprofit organizations and private-sector partners to develop youth-focused strategies that advance equity, access to opportunity and meaningful youth engagement. He previously served as Executive Director of the city’s official youth advocacy body, representing more than 623,000 young people and helping advance major youth-focused policy initiatives across all three levels of government.
During his tenure, Stephen’s advocacy helped shape policies affecting approximately two million students across Ontario. He led advocacy that secured more than $150 million in investments for youth mental health, spearheaded the introduction of free menstrual products in Ontario schools, and led a city-wide campaign that resulted in a commitment to create 10,000 additional youth jobs in Toronto.
His work increasingly bridges local policy and global engagement. In 2024, Stephen represented Canada at the International Youth Summit in Frankfurt, Germany, and in 2026 was invited to United Nations Headquarters in New York for high-level engagements on youth participation, the Sustainable Development Goals and international cooperation.
Stephen was named one of Toronto Life’s 25 Rising Stars in 2023 and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Criminology and Politics & Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
