Strengthened Demand: Transform Systems with Lived‑Experience Leadership
Toronto cannot achieve health equity or social justice without transforming its systems to be led, informed, and shaped by people with lived experience. Those who have navigated mental health challenges, substance use, homelessness, criminalization, disability, poverty, and systemic discrimination understand the realities of these systems more deeply than any policy document or institutional report.

Their expertise is not supplementary — it is essential. Their leadership is not symbolic — it is transformative. Their voices are not optional — they are required for meaningful change.

We call on the City of Toronto to embed lived‑experience leadership at every level of municipal decision‑making by committing to the following:

Create a City‑Wide Lived Experience Leadership Framework that guides all policies, programs, and funding decisions

Establish paid leadership roles for people with lived experience across City divisions, advisory bodies, and strategic initiatives

Integrate lived‑experience leadership into the design, evaluation, and delivery of health, housing, crisis response, and social support programs

Require lived‑experience representation on all City committees responsible for policy development, budget allocation, and service oversight

Fund leadership development pathways that support training, mentorship, and long‑term career growth for lived‑experience leaders

Adopt accountability measures that publicly track progress on lived‑experience inclusion and leadership across City systems

Partner with peer‑led organizations to co‑design and co‑deliver services that reflect real community needs

Transforming systems requires more than consultation — it requires shared power, shared leadership, and shared decision‑making. Toronto must move beyond traditional top‑down approaches and embrace models where lived‑experience expertise drives innovation, equity, and accountability.

By signing this petition, you join a growing movement demanding that Toronto become a city where lived experience leads, systems change is real, and equity is non‑negotiable.