Why ‘safe spaces’ at work fail - and how to fix it – Future of Good Fostering belonging isn’t difficult, but it does take some understanding of how people’s brains work and how we are likely to interact with each other.

“Safe spaces” don’t work just because we name them.

Sarah Illiatovitch-Goldman breaks down how our brains actually assess safety — and why belonging comes from clear onboarding, transparent decisions, and low‑stakes connections. Small signals matter more than declarations.

🔗 tinyurl.com/5but4rp9

What compassion looks like in Sudan’s humanitarian crisis – Future of Good “We have so much, they have so little, yet that woman shared her care for humanity by giving her very best.”

Sudan is facing one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises — and the world is barely looking.

Andy Harrington shares what he saw in a displacement camp: staggering loss, extraordinary generosity, and people surviving on almost nothing.

🔗 tinyurl.com/2kkm8wmm

Avoiding AI Psychosis: The perks and pitfalls of AI and mental health – Future of Good Overview Future of Good has covered the promise and peril of using AI for mental health, but a new phenomenon is raising alarms: “AI psychosis.” Vulnerable users are treating chatbots […]

AI is moving into mental health. Fast.

Some users now treat chatbots like therapists. A new risk is emerging: AI psychosis.

Join our live conversation on what’s working, what’s not, and where to draw the line.

Members free. Single tickets available.

register: futureofgood.co/avoiding-ai-...

Toronto’s most affordable housing is becoming too expensive to run – Future of Good Room caps and expensive renovations are leading owners and operators of Toronto's multi-tenant homes to shift away from providing affordable housing.

Toronto’s “naturally occurring deeply affordable housing” is at risk. Today’s long read delves into the financial challenges facing multi-tenant housing operators.

🔗 tinyurl.com/y5f5h3bz

Alberta MLA’s AI claims misrepresent how Canada’s charities actually work – Future of Good This is a non-AI-generated photo of the Ottawa sign in Byward Market in front of a CRA building (top left), unlike the AI-generated illustration in Nate

Canada’s non-profit sector is used to scrutiny. So, so much scrutiny.

Which is why Alberta MLA Nate Glubish’s recent post framing Canada’s charitable sector as wasteful is so disheartening and misleading.

The latest from Managing Editor @elishadacey.bsky.social .

futureofgood.co/alberta-mlas...

Canada’s food prices are already high — will the Iran conflict make them worse? This piece argues the short‑term impact is likely small, but higher oil + fertilizer costs could still work their way through the system if the conflict lasts.

🔗 tinyurl.com/8jpzccha

Climate funding is drying up, but cities still have to deliver. The LC3 network is showing how place‑based investing can fill the gap — from deep retrofits to EV fleets to geothermal pilots.
Why don’t more Canadian cities have a fund like this?

Full story: 🔗 tinyurl.com/4vck47t2

These 12 experts will classify Canada’s green and transition investments – Future of Good Canada is one step closer to joining 70 other countries by defining its green and transition taxonomy, making it easier for investors to know whether

👉 Impact Brief: These 12 experts will classify Canada’s green and transition investments

Canada is closer to joining 70 other countries by defining its green and transition taxonomy, making it easier for investors to know if their investments support reducing climate change.

🔗 tinyurl.com/fyv7nsea

Canada’s housing market at a standstill, impacting social services system-wide: study – Future of Good More than half of Canadian homeowners say they plan to stay in their current homes, according to a recent CPA Canada study, a trend that is contributing to a stagnant housing market in some cities and...

🏘️ Canada’s housing market is at a standstill. New CPA Canada data shows 55 per cent of homeowners plan to stay put, tightening supply and creating a strain across the system.

🔗 tinyurl.com/2ueke7fv

1,190 charities and foundations have been impacted by a policy change that requires them to increase their disbursements. Overall, they have given $711 million more as a result. Read more here: futureofgood.co/disbursement...

Diaspora communities aren’t watching war from a distance — they’re living in split belonging, juggling safety here with crisis there.
Constant updates, emotional labour, and transnational stress shape daily life, yet our institutions barely acknowledge it.

🔗 futureofgood.co/diaspora-com...

Texting with a stranger beats a chatbot at easing loneliness: Canadian study – Future of Good UBC-led study challenges the idea that an always-available AI companion can substitute for a human connection.

New research from UBC says those who texted with another person — even a stranger — saw reduced loneliness compared to talking to an AI chatbot.

For non-profits on the forefront of mental health, thinking about using AI chatbots to add to their arsenal, it’s a timely study.

🔗 tinyurl.com/bdfb69ux

City of Vancouver calls for festival federal funding return – Future of Good Vancouver’s city council plans to push the federal government to restore and expand federal funding for major festivals and cultural events.

Vancouver city councillors are pushing for more federal funding for festivals. It now costs event organizers about 40 per cent more than pre-pandemic to run similar events, putting festivals across Canada at risk of cancellation or cutbacks.

🔗 futureofgood.co/city-of-vanc...

Ontario is closing its supervised consumption sites, calling them a failure. So what counts as ‘success?’ – Future of Good Ontario’s plan to replace supervised consumption sites with recovery‑focused hubs ignores evidence about who these services keep alive.

Ontario is cutting supervised consumption sites, calling them a “failed experiment.” But these sites have one core job: keeping people alive — and they do it. Mixed evidence isn’t an argument to dismantle the safety net. Treatment & harm reduction need to coexist, not compete.
🔗 tinyurl.com/fxvjjc92

Protecting rural housing: Saltbox Fund founder on the power of lending circles – Future of Good KJ Conyers-Steede, founder of Future Civics, is piloting a peer-to-peer community financing model that can be scaled and replicated across rural Canada.

In rural Nova Scotia, homeowners struggle with aging properties that are increasingly energy-inefficient. Many homeowners don't have the liquid cash to carry out necessary repairs. The Saltbox Fund, a new community lending pilot, is developing a model to bridge that capital gap: tinyurl.com/58s9tyey

Where’s the beef? – Future of Good Clara Peller’s “Where’s the Beef?” was a shorthand for substance. (Supplied photos/Youtube) Clara Peller was a Russian-born television personality who

Introducing our new columnist, Craig Swistun.

In his first column for Future of Good, Swistun notes that Clara Peller’s famous question — “Where’s the beef?” — wasn’t just a punchline. It was a challenge to demand more substance

🔗 futureofgood.co/wheres-the-b...

BC government to end rent supplement program April 1 – Future of Good Affordable housing programs rolled back under BC government budget cuts.

“This is going to be a generational kind of impact that's going to have for future affordable housing and for people living in this province,” said Lilian Chau, CEO of @enfhousingsociety.bsky.social.

🔗 tinyurl.com/26jvjv8m

Canada’s social impact community is mourning the loss of Stephen Lewis — a leader whose moral clarity reshaped how the sector understands justice, solidarity, and community‑led change.

Add your thoughts to this story - connect with Editor @elishadacey.bsky.social

futureofgood.co/canadas-soci...

DAFs feel a bit unclear? You’re not alone.

$16B sits in donor advised funds across Canada. Most orgs don’t have a plan yet.

Join DAFs Explained.
May 7 | 11:30 AM ET 💻

Members free. Tickets $49.
Register: futureofgood.co/dafs-explain...

The crisis of youth aging out of care is why Canada needs a children and youth commissioner – Future of Good Canada’s child welfare system leaves care‑experienced youth behind — a national commissioner could finally change that

Researchers from McGill, Mount Saint Vincent and Memorial University of Newfoundland say a national children and youth commissioner and coordinated data could finally bring accountability. Access isn’t enough; youth need holistic, trauma‑informed supports to actually thrive.

🔗 bit.ly/4rYypPH

NEET kids: The effort behind lowering Canada’s worrying youth unemployment levels – Future of Good The jobless rate for people aged 15-24 climbed to 14.1 per cent in February.

Youth unemployment in Canada is back near recession levels — and the long-term fallout is real. Supports aren’t keeping pace with mental health needs, employer expectations, or the realities young people face.

🔗 bit.ly/4lYGqD1

👉 Impact Brief: Black Canadians overrepresented in law courts: StatsCan

Black Canadians are disproportionally represented in Canadian courts, accounting for 6.2 per cent of accused individuals despite making up 3.7 per cent of the adult population.

Learn more: bit.ly/3O2Hg4X

Do you love sleeping with your pet? Science reveals there’s a tricky trade‑off – Future of Good Why sharing a bed with your pet feels good — even when it quietly disrupts your sleep

New research from the University of Saskatchewan shows that sleeping with Fido or Fluffy is great for your emotional wellbeing, but not-so-awesome for your sleep.

🔗 bit.ly/4dJD8RJ

👉 Impact Brief: B.C. community to receive tiny home village

A new tiny home village is planned for New Westminster, B.C. that will open later this year near the city’s rapid transit system.

Learn more: futureofgood.co/b-c-communit...

Manitoba to remove provincial taxes from groceries – Future of Good Premier Wab Kinew told media before the budget dropped Tuesday that Manitobans would no longer pay provincial taxes at the grocery store on prepared foods.

🥕 Manitoba is removing provincial taxes from all food bought at grocery stores starting July 1.

Removing the PST on these foods would save the average household about $75 a year.

Story by @elishadacey.bsky.social and Abigail Turner:

Saskatchewan social services sees budget boost; advocates unconvinced – Future of Good The Saskatchewan government is investing millions more in social services under its proposed 2026 budget released last week.

Saskatchewan is proposing a significant boost to its social services budget, but advocates say it may fall short of what’s needed. While the investments could improve access to supports, advocates warn the increases are modest compared to the scale of poverty in the province.

🔗 bit.ly/4uPTPkO

Build Canada Homes to finance deep affordability, transitional and supportive housing in New Brunswick | Future of Good Build Canada Homes and the Province of New Brunswick will deliver at least 1,200 new homes, focusing on deeply affordable, transitional and supportive housing.

👉 Impact Brief: Build Canada Homes to finance deep affordability, transitional and supportive housing in New Brunswick

Learn more: futureofgood.co/build-canada...

What is a shared platform? And how does it differentiate from a trustee, a fiscal sponsor, or an organizational mentor?

Today's deep dive from @sharlenegandhi.bsky.social!

futureofgood.co/long-read-sh...

How governments can help Indigenous communities disproportionately impacted by wildfires | Future of Good Nearly every summer over the past decade, the story has been the same across many parts of Canada: wildfires rage out of control and skies are filled with smoke.

Indigenous communities still face the most harmful wildfire evacuations in Canada.

New research: underfunding, unsafe shelters, family separation, jurisdictional gaps.

Solutions: long‑term funding, Indigenous fire guardian programs, and infrastructure that lets communities stay safe.

Alberta municipalities push province to pause new disability assistance program; advocates warn of deeper poverty | Future of Good The cities of Edmonton and Lethbridge are urging the Government of Alberta to pause the rollout of the new Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP).

Alberta municipalities are urging the province to pause its new disability assistance program, set to launch in July.

Advocates warn the “dual‑track” ADAP system, separating those deemed able vs. unable to work, will deepen poverty as benefits and exemptions drop.

futureofgood.co/alberta-muni...