Ontario Successfully Concludes Mental Health Week and Children’s Mental Health Week

Province Strengthening Mental Health and Addictions Services

May 10, 2019

For too long, Ontarians have struggled on their own to navigate a disconnected and fragmented mental health and addictions system. Ontario’s patients and families deserve timely access to the mental health and addictions services they need, when and where they need them.

Throughout Mental Health Week and Children’s Mental Health Week, which are both concluding, Ontario’s Government for the People highlighted several investments as part of its $174 million in funding for mental health and addictions supports.

“Our government is taking a multi-ministerial approach that brings together Ontario’s health, education, housing, justice and social services sector, among others, to work alongside one another to help bring much-needed supports to communities across Ontario,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. “Our government is investing in solutions today that will help reduce wait times, enhance opioids and addictions services, create additional supportive housing, build capacity in child and youth mental health, support our men and women in uniform and add services for seniors, Francophones and Ontario’s Indigenous people.”

Across the government, the $174 million funding includes the following:

  • Nearly $30 million for child and youth community mental health services and programs across Ontario to ensure earlier and faster mental health and addictions support in communities.
  • More than $33 million for consumption treatment services sites in communities across the province. For those who are struggling with opioid and other drug addictions, these sites are an important first step towards treatment through new wraparound health and social services. This funding will also support addictions programs at the local level across Ontario.
  • More than $15 million for more housing supports for people who are homeless and face mental health and addictions issues.
  • More than $25 million to reduce wait times for community mental health programs, and services for priority populations, including Francophones.
  • More than $27 million to fund mental health supports in Ontario’s education system, which will directly benefit schools, teachers and, most importantly, students and their parents.
  • More than $18 million to support mental health and addictions supports in the justice sector, including direct support for corrections staff to address Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other mental health challenges. Additionally, our government is investing in mobile crisis intervention teams to help police officers and other first responders better assist people experiencing mental health crises.
  • $1 million to support postsecondary institutions in partnering with community-based mental health and addictions services.
  • More than $5 million for the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services to provide culturally-appropriate mental health services and supports to Indigenous communities, including adults, families, children and youth. The government will invest another $7 million through the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to fund treatment centres and mental wellness programs, as well as mental health and addiction workers and coordinators for Ontario’s Indigenous communities.
  • $12 million to help build additional hospital capacity with new inpatient mental health beds. These investments will directly help end hallway health care and ensure all Ontarians, including those struggling with mental health and addictions challenges, have faster access to the care they need in our province’s hospitals.
  • $250,000 for the Ministry of Seniors and Accessibility to develop and deliver a seniors’ mental health educational initiative.

To ensure mental health and addictions service providers have stable, long-term support, the government will make this funding available every year. Further, the government will invest $3.8 billion over the next 10 years to develop and implement a comprehensive and connected mental health and addictions strategy.

Quick Facts

  • Investments in mental health and addictions services is part of Ontario’s plan to modernize our public health care system, which relentlessly focuses on patient experience and better connected care, to reduce wait times and end hallway health care.
  • The government held 19 consultations across the province with mental health and addictions community organizations, frontline service providers, hospitals, advocates, experts, people with lived experience and people with experience in Indigenous mental health and addictions.
  • The government will invest $3.8 billion over 10 years to develop and implement a comprehensive and connected mental health and addictions strategy.
  • Ontario’s 10-year funding agreement with the federal government will help support these investments.

Additional Resources

Media ContactsHayley Chazan
Office of the Deputy Premier & Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
hayley.chazan@ontario.ca
416-726-9941

David Jensen
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
media.moh@ontario.ca
416-314-6197

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