Kitchener – On Friday June 18, Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) called for more support and resources to help those struggling with mental health and addiction. OBCM requested the continued creation and funding of Mental Health Crisis Response units, which combines trained mental health professionals and police officers to respond to low-risk crisis calls and wellness checks, as well as the decriminalization of controlled substances.
“Every day, we see the suffering caused by mental health and addiction issues in our community,” said City of Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “These issues have been a long time in the making, and will require a coordinated, long-term, all-of-government strategy with ongoing funding to make a significant positive impact on the lives of those who are suffering.”
The transition of mental health services from institutional to community-based settings has brought many improvements, but significant gaps still remain to those in need of mental health services. These gaps have put increasing pressure on policing and the justice system, emergency room departments, income support programs, and social and supportive housing.
In addition to OBCM supporting the Province of Ontario’s “Roadmap to Wellness” plan, the OBCM unanimously endorsed the following recommendations:
- Structural changes to improve mental health services and ensure more Ontarians get the help they need, when they need it, and where appropriate;
- Support that helps improve and connect municipal services with community mental health services;
- Legislative and regulatory changes that reduce the harm of substance use, and support system changes, such as the trial recently proposed by the City of Vancouver, and
- Enhanced opportunities for OBCM municipalities and mayors to convene partners and strengthen the call for increased investments.
“The provincial government is responsible for funding and coordinating mental health and addiction supports, but all orders of government have a role to play in improving services for our residents,” said Mayor Vrbanovic. “Gone are the days when anyone in government could say the mental health of our residents is “not our department.””
Addictions, new and old, continue to ravage Ontario communities. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), from 2019 to 2020, emergency department visits for opioid poisonings are up 16% and hospitalizations are up 13%. Alcohol related emergency department visits are up 5%. The Ontario Drug Policy Research Network reported 2,426 opioid-related deaths in 2020, a 60% increase over 2019, making 2020 the worst year on record for opioid-related death since tracking began.
Learn more about Ontario’s Big City Mayors by visiting the website.
Read the Roadmap to Wellness plan.
For more information, please contact:
Paul Grivicic, Chief of Staff
City of Kitchener
226-749-3410
paul.grivicic@kitchener.ca
Bethany Rowland, Director of Corporate Communications & Marketing
City of Kitchener
226-752-9038
bethany.rowland@kitchener.ca