TORONTO — Canada’s mental health crisis calls for a national summit with representation from all levels of government, Toronto Mayor John Tory said Wednesday, arguing that a lack of provincial and federal support is dumping responsibility on “ill-equipped” municipalities “.
In a statement, Tory called for a summit where mayors, ministers, prime ministers and the prime minister discuss how best to support people living with mental health and addiction issues.
Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tory said the lack of spending on mental health is “painfully clear on the streets” of Canadian municipalities.
“This summit must be the moment that we start treating mental health care as health care. That we clearly decide who has the responsibility to do what, and continue to do much more together,” he said.
The mayor has routinely linked mental health support issues to recent random violent attacks on public transportation in Toronto. Police have reported three incidents in the city’s transit system in the past four days alone.
After a woman was stabbed to death during a random attack on a subway in mid-December, Tory said more investment in mental health was required to ensure people in crisis had places to go other than the transit system.
“When the federal and provincial governments fail to fully and adequately fund mental health care, the onus falls on ill-equipped municipalities across Canada,” he said in Wednesday’s statement.
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“It’s dumped into our shelters, into our police services, into our transit systems and into hospital emergency departments.”
Asked to respond to Tory’s comments, Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones pointed to the province’s investments in crisis response teams that pair mental health professionals with police officers.
“There is no question that more work needs to be done,” Jones said, speaking at a news conference Wednesday morning. “And I’m always willing to work with police forces or municipal governments.”
Canada’s mental health crisis calls for a national summit with representation from all levels of government, Toronto Mayor John Tory said Wednesday. #Mental health
The office of federal Mental Health and Addiction Minister Carolyn Bennett said making mental health care an equal part of the universal health care system is a central part of the government’s plans.
He said the department is continually working with provincial, territorial, municipal and indigenous governments on a comprehensive mental health and substance use strategy.
“The Prime Minister will meet with Prime Ministers on February 7 to ensure the sustainability of our system for years to come and ensure that our investments deliver real, tangible results, including: reducing delays and waiting times; ensuring the access to family health teams; improve mental health services; advance the use of health data and support older people,” Bennett’s office said in an email.
The best evidence of the current mental health crisis is problems related to substance abuse, Tory said, noting the thousands of people who have died from opioid overdoses.
Tory says she first made the proposal for a national mental health summit directly to Trudeau in December.
“Three years ago, we faced the COVID-19 pandemic and at that time all the governments worked together to help people and help each other through those difficult times,” Tory said.
“Now we are faced with a mental health crisis that requires the same level of dedication, cooperation and commitment.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on January 25, 2023.