Government of Canada Announces Funding for Ontario Projects that Support Positive Mental Health

Toronto, Ontario – June 8, 2011 – The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, and the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, on behalf of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, today announced federal funding of over $5 million to support three projects in Ontario that aim to improve mental health among children and youth in low-income families in urban, rural and Aboriginal communities. This funding covers both Phase I and Phase II of a $27 million national funding announcement by the Government of Canada. Through the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Innovation Strategy, this funding seeks to improve the mental health of vulnerable populations in communities across Canada.”Many conditions in our environments – social, economic, geographic – can make it difficult for children and youth to enjoy good mental health,” said Minister Flaherty. “These projects focus on equipping families and community leaders in communities at risk for mental health issues to increase the mental wellbeing of their children and youth.”

“School and community-based settings provide an excellent opportunity to promote mental health in children and youth,” said Minister Finley. “This funding helps to equip parents, educators and community leaders in building the environments that support positive mental health for their children and youth.”

The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre in Toronto is receiving more than $2.6 million (Phase I and Phase II) for the development, implementation and evaluation its training program, Handle With Care, for parents and child care workers. Handle With Care aims to enhance the mental health and protective factors of children aged 0 – 6 in family and centre-based child care settings in low-income urban and rural communities at risk for mental health issues. The project will be implemented in 16 communities in Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, Ontario and Yukon.

Across Boundaries, a mental health centre in Toronto, is receiving a total of $580,709 (Phase I and Phase II) for a project to build community capacity among youth and their families and to produce resources targeted to immigrant, refugee and ethno-cultural group youth. The project aims to improve mental health and help young people avoid problem behaviours and will produce a report on lessons learned.

Funding from today’s announcement also reflects more than $2.6 million (Phase I and Phase II) to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, in London, Ontario, to support a school-based prevention program that promotes healthy relationships among youth, targets high-risk behaviours and enhances the skills of adults to foster youth development. The Fourth R: Promoting Youth Well-being through Healthy Relationships will be implemented in over 40 schools in low-income, rural, urban, northern and Aboriginal communities in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

“We know that Canadian communities are not the same from coast-to-coast-to-coast,” said Claire Crooks, Project Lead for The Fourth R intervention Centre for Addictions and Mental Health. “This funding provides the necessary resources to better understand how to adapt an effective violence prevention program to fit the needs of these unique communities. Ultimately, healthy and violence-free relationships are the bedrock of youths’ mental health and wellbeing.”

Through the Declaration on Prevention and Promotion, Canada’s Ministers of Health have agreed to make health promotion a priority for action. The Government of Canada is committed to working with partners—within and outside the health sector—to design and implement new approaches to promote the health and well-being of Canada’s children and youth.

FACT SHEET

Innovation Strategy – Mental Health Promotion

The Government of Canada, along with provinces, territories, and community groups, is working to find better ways to promote positive mental health among Canadians.

Differences in economic circumstances, education, living conditions and the physical environment can prevent a proportion of our population from achieving optimal mental health and well-being. This includes children, youth and families living in northern, remote and rural communities.

Through the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Innovation Strategy, the Government of Canada funds projects that will help to improve our understanding of what works to promote positive mental health among children, youth and families.

In several communities across Canada, these projects will directly support positive mental health among children and youth through community-based education and family support.

These projects, with funding totalling over $27 million, will contribute to our knowledge of mental health promotion and be shared with communities and partners across the country.

Ontario-based projects

Handle with Care in At-Risk Communities: a program for parents and early childhood educators to promote young children’s mental health

The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre, Toronto, educates mental health professionals and delivers research-based mental health education to communities. The Centre is receiving more than $2.6 million over five years (Phase I and Phase II) for its project to train parents and those who work in child care settings. The program will be implemented and tested in sixteen communities in Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, Ontario and the Yukon.

The project is expected to improve long-term mental health among children (from birth to six years) and families by enhancing competence among parents and early childhood educators.

The Fourth R: Promoting Youth Well Being Through Healthy Relationships

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, in London, Ontario, exists to improve the lives of those affected by addiction and mental health problems. The Centre’s school-based prevention program, The Fourth R (Relationships), is receiving more than $2.6 million over five years (Phase I and Phase II) to promote healthy relationships and target high-risk behaviours among adolescents.

The program will be implemented in more than 40 schools in low-income communities in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Program sites include urban and rural, Northern and Aboriginal communities.

Community Partnerships for Youth Health

Across Boundaries, an ethno-racial community mental health centre in Toronto, is receiving a total of $580,709 (Phase I and Phase II) to build community capacity among youth and their families and to produce resources promoting mental health among immigrant, refugee and ethno-cultural youth in Toronto. A web-based set of evaluation tools will also be produced to assess change in mental health literacy and school conditions, as well as a report on lessons learned.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is funding these initiatives under its Innovation Strategy program. The Innovation Strategy supports population health innovation and learning through interventions which build practice-based evidence.

Contact Information

Health Canada
Cailin Rodgers
Office of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq
Federal Minister of Health
(613) 957-0200

Media Relations
Public Health Agency of Canada
(613) 941-8189