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Bell Let’s Talk Day a reminder of Ontario’s lack of mental health and addictions funding

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This year, people in Waterloo Region, Guelph, and Wellington County have an opportunity to push for lasting change on Bell Let’s Talk Day.

Sign the petition at erasethedifference.ca and send a strong message to provincial election candidates that mental health and addictions care in Ontario should be funded the same as physical health care.

The petition is led by Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Ontario in collaboration with CMHA Waterloo Wellington in the lead-up to the June provincial election.

“Awareness campaigns such as Bell Let’s Talk Day are welcome and extremely valuable as they help break the stigma and reduce the discrimination associated with mental health and addictions,” said Fred Wagner, executive director of CMHA WW. “But the fact remains that mental health and addictions services in Ontario remain chronically underfunded compared to other parts of the health system. Without regular and ongoing investment into the system, people coming forward to seek help can often end up languishing on wait lists.”

The burden of mental illness in Ontario is 1.5 times that of all cancers combined and more than seven times of all infectious diseases.[i] Meanwhile, Ontario devotes $3.5 billion of a total $54-billion health budget to mental health and addictions. [ii],[iii]

The mental health and addictions share of the health budget is 6.5 per cent. In 1979, it was 11.3 per cent. [iv]

There are 30 CMHA branches throughout the province. Together with other local agencies, CMHAs belong to a community-based mental health and addictions sector that serves half a million Ontarians.

Fast Facts:

For more information, contact:

Martin Bauman, Communications Specialist
CMHA Waterloo Wellington
1-844-264-2993 ext. 2106
mbauman@cmhaww.ca

[i] Ratnasingham S, Cairney J, Rehm J, Manson H, Kurdyak PA. (2012) Opening Eyes, Opening Minds: The Ontario Burden of Mental Illness and Addictions Report https://www.ices.on.ca/Publications/Atlases-and-Reports/2012/Opening-Eyes-Opening-Minds

[ii] Brien et al. (2015). Taking Stock: A report on the quality of mental health and addictions services in Ontario. An HQO/ICES Report. Toronto: Health Quality Ontario and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, as cited in Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (2012) Mental Illness and Addictions: Facts and Statistics.
http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/about_camh/newsroom/for_reporters/Pages/addictionsmentalhealthstatistics.aspx

[iii] Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (2017) 2017- 2018 Published Plan and 2016-2017 Annual Report http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/common/ministry/publications/plans/ppar17/

[iv] Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. (1979) Estimated Allocations of Mental Health and Addictions Expenditures- 1979-1980. Reports published by Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. (No longer in publication and not available online).

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