First Nation communities across the province will see over $36 million in targeted, culturally appropriate and community-led mental health and addictions supports through a provincial investment.
Kenora-Rainy River MPP Greg Rickford, who also serves as the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, helped make the $36 million announcement on Friday afternoon.
He explains that the funding will help ensure that supports are available for Indian Residential School survivors and their families, as well as Indigenous-led student, youth and gender-focused services.
“This is an endemic within a pandemic, and it hits close to home for me,” described Minister Rickford in an interview with Q104 and KenoraOnline earlier this week. “This is part of a broader mental health investment across the province.”
"I have heard directly from First Nations leadership that the painful legacy and new attention of residential schools has resulted in trauma for survivors, families and communities. We will continue working with Indigenous partners to ensure services are available to meet the needs of Indigenous communities.”
Ontario says the $36 million in funding includes over $20 million for Indigenous-focused mental health and addictions programming and services to support residential school survivors, and will ensure work is being done to investigate and commemorate former residential school sites across Ontario.
"Many of our communities are in a state of crisis due to mental health and addictions, and the COVID-19 pandemic has caused social isolation and further limited access to mental health and addictions services,” said Grand Chief Derek Fox, Nishnawbe Aski Nation.
"Investments are needed to help rebuild community-based systems and community-led approaches based on the unique needs of each of our First Nations communities. Our communities have seen excellent results from land-based programming based on our cultures and traditions. This much-needed funding will support community-driven, culturally appropriate supports that are critical to promote the well-being of our members and communities.”
As well, Ontario will be providing annual funding of over $16 million devoted to Indigenous services to support Ontario’s Roadmap to Wellness: A Plan to Build Ontario’s Mental Health and Addictions.
That funding includes youth mental health services, Indigenous-specific healing services, and the development of an opioid strategy to address the increase in opioid use and related deaths.
"Our government recognizes that Indigenous peoples and communities have faced too many barriers to accessing effective and safe mental health and addictions care, demand for which has only increased during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.
"With this investment, we’re taking an essential step in building productive working relationships and ensuring Indigenous communities throughout the province have access to culturally appropriate mental health and addictions supports, especially during these unprecedented times.”
Ontario notes that under their new Roadmap to Wellness, the province has increased mental health and addictions funding by $525 million annually since 2019-2020, which includes $175 million additional supports in 2021-2022.