‘We are struggling,’ Burlington Mayor calls on province to create new ministry to combat addictions, homelessness and the mental health crisis in Ontario

In a conference earlier today (Aug. 8), Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward led the charge for the new ‘Solve the Crisis’ campaign. 

This new initiative is the byproduct of Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) organization collecting data on homelessness, mental health issues and addictions throughout Ontario — and specifically — using this data to combat these issues as a united front, as they have found the current standard for provincial aid to be severely inconsistent. 

“Both levels of government have answered the call with some funding and programs over the last year — but it’s not consistent or enough — it’s piecemeal,” said Ward during the conference. 

As a result, the ‘Solve the Crisis’ campaign aims to generate a provincial throughline built on a foundation set by the OBCM caucous, specifically, by ensuring that federal, provincial and municipal districts all have a focal point to pour their resources into. 

“What we know from the evidence is that funding announcements are not an actual plan… and while investments are made to help certain specific communities — it’s great — but it also withholds those funds from other communities and as a result,” said Ward. 

Ward was quick to indicate that while she and her fellow mayors are ready to do the leg work to connect communities to resources, the provincial and federal governments need to step up and provide a blanket level of funding to help Ontario’s most vulnerable. 

According to Ward, the current status of the OBCM’s demands are as follows:

• Appoint a ministry on a provincial level with the “appropriate powers” to provide funding to municipalities. 
• Use this ministry to launch a task force with a wide selection of representatives (healthcare professionals, first responders, housing staff, municipal staff, etc…)
• Commit funding to specific areas within addictions, housing and mental health care that are being overlooked.
• Build a foundation with all the above resources to transition individuals living in encampments to not just housing, but also, facilities with wrap-around addictions and mental health care. 
• Build relief centres to take pressure off emergency rooms and first responders. 

While addressing the press, Ward was not shy to point out what systemically is not working in Ontario, and how the OBCM’s new plan can help change a system, that she indicates, is in desperate need of an overhaul.

“As long as municipalities are required to wait for funding announcements, hope they qualify, hope that their applications will get across the finish line, wonder if they will get what they asked for — that is not a way to solve a crisis — any crisis, pick one. That is not how to run a country, that is not how run a province and it’s how we in Canada have been doing it for decades.”