Dr. Cindy Blackstock Awarded 2025 John Rook Leadership Award

In recognition of her lifetime of service dedicated to ending poverty, the Canadian Poverty Institute is pleased to announce that Dr. Cindy Blackstock has been named the 2025 recipient of the John Rook Leadership Award for Poverty Reduction. Dr. Blackstock has been a powerful voice for First Nations children and youth experiencing poverty and marginalization. A member of the Gitxsan First Nation, Cindy is honoured to serve as the Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society and as a professor at McGill University’s School of Social Work. She holds a PhD in Social work from the University of Toronto and has over 40 years of experience working in child and family services and Indigenous children’s rights.

Read about the life and work of Dr. Blackstock here.

The award will be presented to Dr. Blackstock on January 12th 2026 at Ambrose University.

New Report Examines the Roots of Poverty and Pathways for Systems Change

A Deep Dive Into Poverty:

An Exploratory Analysis of the Root Causes of Poverty and Possible Pathways for Systems Change

If we want a Canada where all communities can thrive, that vision must be woven into the fabric of our national identity. It must serve as a guiding priority – shaping our choices, informing our success metrics, and grounding our collective accountability.  Only then can we begin to make the millions of aligned decisions needed to design legislation, programs, policies, and practices that foster shared well-being. At a macro-level, achieving this vision requires two things: a broad-based individual and institutional commitment to collective well-being, and the strategic allocation of resources that reflect the scale and urgency of the need.

In this new report, Monica Da Ponte explores the nature of the incentive structure that lies at the heart of a poly-crisis manifesting itself in widespread homelessness, food insecurity and environmental degradation. Read her analysis and options for pathways forward here.