Date: Wednesday June 18, 2025
Time: 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET
Join us for a presentation with Dr. Colin Phillips, an Adjunct Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Alina McKay, Research Manager for the Balanced Supply of Housing, and Brad Evoy, Executive Director of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario, on accessible housing gaps in Canada.
Over 8 million Canadians live with a disability that limits their daily activities, however, measures of housing need often do not include accessibility considerations. This Balanced Supply of Housing webinar will focus on measuring the need for accessible housing, as well as ongoing advocacy by the Accessible Housing Network with a focus on code changes that will allow for new housing to be more adaptable and accessible. Drs. Alina McKay and Colin Phillips will present on their work developing a survey with persons with disabilities. Three workshops were held to gather input on survey questions with a focus on the right to accessible housing, adapting housing, and moving from housing. Brad Evoy will present on his work with the Accessible Housing Network and the organizing work to create more inclusive spaces and communities for persons with disabilities, including housing!
This research is part of BSH’s Accessible Housing Needs in Canada project.
About the Speakers
Alina McKay (she/her) is a housing researcher and the Research Manager for the Housing Research Collaborative and Balanced Supply of Housing at UBC’s Peter Allard School of Law. She completed her Masters in Sociology, and PhD in Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on the links between housing security and wellbeing. In her role as the Research Manager for the Balanced Supply of Housing, she helps coordinate collaboration between the Balanced Supply of Housing’s academic and community-based researchers.
Colin Phillips (he/him) is a policy professional and educator who has spent his career finding solutions to the homelessness and housing insecurity that the most marginalized in society experience. As Housing Advisor for the United Property Resource Corporation/Kindred Works, he undertakes research and analysis that ensures that the organization’s development of affordable, purpose-built rental housing is grounded in the realities of the rental housing market, as well as an intersectional analysis that highlights the realization of the right to housing. Another key component of his role is to contribute to efforts that engage communities of faith in finding solutions to housing issues.
Colin has been a social work educator for almost a decade, and is currently an Adjunct Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia. He previously held appointments at Toronto Metropolitan University and Renison University College.
Brad Evoy (he/him) is the Executive Director of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario (DJNO). He is a member of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation and has worked across Ontario and Newfoundland in governance and community organizing roles. Having previously worked in legal clinics and childcare services in Toronto, Guelph, and Ottawa, he has served as the Executive Director of Makonsag Aboriginal Head Start, held various staff roles with the Ontario Public Interest Research Group, and worked as the Administration Manager of Scarborough Community Legal Services. His experiences as a Disabled person—with Cerebral Palsy, diabetes, and high myopic vision—have helped ground him in community and the interlocking fight for justice. Brad represents DJNO at the Fair Rent Ontario coalition and as co-Chair of the Accessible Housing Network.
