The government of Ontario recently announced a proposed investment of $2.1 billion that will go towards improving mental health and addictions services, over a period of four years.
Premier Kathleen Wynne announced this as the “biggest provincial investment in Canadian history in mental health and addictions services” during a visit to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto on March 21, according to the government’s press release.
According to the release, this four-year investment “will reframe the system to deliver more accessible and better integrated care.”
The investment will make it easier to access mental health services through a “local school, a family doctor’s office or a community-based organization,” according to the release.
According to the release, more than 12,000 young people will be able to access community-based services such as therapy and counselling as a result of the funding.
According to the Ontario government website, mental health is a pressing problem in Canadian society, as nearly one third of people in Ontario will experience a mental health issue at some point in their lifetime.
The Canadian Mental Health Association reports that more than 6.7 million people are living with a mental health condition in Canada.
“We know there can be no health without mental health. No one in Ontario should struggle to access mental health or addictions care for themselves or their loved ones,” Wynne said in the release.
As wait times for mental health care has been a core issue, the province is investing $66.4 million over four years to child and youth mental health services so “they can provide support more quickly and meet the growing demand for mental health and addictions services,” according the government’s website.
This new investment also seeks to address mental health in Indigenous communities.
The Ontario government will provide $6.1 million over four years to support 10 Indigenous organizations so that they can hire co-ordinators who will act as advocates for their communities as new initiatives are being developed.
But, the move doesn’t come without criticism as the provincial party leadership elections are around the corner.
On March 19, Wynne gave a throne speech in which she announced this major investment among others that would be implemented if the Ontario Liberals are re-elected.
Progressive Conservative MPP Lisa MacLeod told the Globe and Mail that she questions the motives of the investment.
“The only thing they care about is re-election . . . I question their motive. This is the 11th hour, 78 days before an election campaign, and the government presided over a broken system for 15 years and did nothing to fix it until now,” she said.
Photo by Marieta-Rita Osezua
