New coalition challenges candidates to 'take a stand' for child and youth mental health

A new coalition has formed to challenge candidates for the next Ontario election to "take a stand" and end the crisis in child and youth mental health in a province where the equivalent of three school busloads of children and youth commit suicide every year. 

"Children and youth are suffering, and this is heartbreaking," says Bronwyn Loucks of the youth advocacy group, New Mentality, a member of the newly formed Ontario Action Network for Child & Youth Mental Health.  "I have faith that we can do better as a province and that provincial candidates will take a stand and pledge to end this crisis in child and youth mental health.  We're calling on all candidates, regardless of their political persuasion, to take a stand for better mental health services for children and youth, or risk being left behind on voting day, October 6."

Loucks' remarks come on the heels of increasing pressure for the Government of Ontario to take concrete action to end the crisis in child and youth mental health.  A motion urging the Government to launch an action plan within 60 days was introduced in the Ontario Legislature yesterday by the Progressive Conservatives.  Two to three young people kill themselves every week in Ontario, and thousands of families are just not getting the help they need.

Youth groups are taking the lead in the new Ontario Action Network for Child & Youth Mental Health, supported by a provincial network of parents, service providers, unions and other partners committed to ending the crisis in child and youth mental health.  Local coalitions will bring the "Take A Stand" campaign to life in communities across the province starting this May. 

Some communities are organizing already.  Joanne Curran, a parent and a long-time advocate for child and youth mental health, is helping organize the coalition in Premier Dalton McGuinty's backyard in Ottawa.

"Every year, more than 25,000 Ontario children and youth are identified to be in need of help, but only about 15,000 get that help," Curran says.  "The Province can end this 40 percent "capacity gap" with an investment of $200 million over the next four years into the community-based agencies that actually deliver most of the services.  We'll see in this month's budget if the government will address the fact that funding levels have been utterly stagnant for 17 of the past 19 years."

Hand in hand with sustainable funding, Curran says, the Ontario government needs to commit to working collaboratively with service providers and other partners to create a seamless system that increases direct service to children, youth and families.