It is an election issue

Canadian Mental Health Association
News Release

********************

TORONTO - In this year's provincial election campaign, Ontario politicians must not allow mental health and addiction issues to return to the shadows! That is the message from a partnership of provincial mental health and addictions organizations that include: Addictions Ontario, Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Ontario; The Centre for Addition and Mental Health (CAMH); and The Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction Programs (OFCMHAP).

This partnership has issued a challenge to all provincial leaders and political parties to address the needs of the more than 20% of Ontarians who will experience mental illness and substance abuse problems in their lifetime.

These recommendations have been highlighted in a new pre-election document titled Ontario Election 2007: Focus on Addiction and Mental Health. The document urges provincial leaders to build access to community-based mental health and addiction services, target the harms of alcohol and other drugs through a Provincial Drug Strategy, and invest in housing, consumer initiatives, and social supports. Ontario Election 2007: Focus on Addiction and Mental Health has been distributed to all political parties and MPPs, and is now available to the general public.

"We can all see the human cost of addictions and mental health on the well-being of Ontarians. It's the hidden costs in lost productivity, and the use of costly emergency, shelter, and correctional services that diminishes our standard of living," says David Kelly, Executive Director, OFCMHAP. "Our network of addiction services is in particular need of greater support."

Lorne Zon, CEO, CMHA, Ontario, noted that the Province of Ontario has made important investments in community mental health during the current term of government. "These investments are improving the lives of those with mental illness," says Zon. "But we need to work much harder to support those with mental illness to become full participants in our communities, by providing affordable housing, adequate income support and improved access to employment opportunities."

Please visit www.camh.net, then click on Influencing Policy and scroll down to What's New for a downloadable copy of Ontario Election 2007: Focus on Addiction and Mental Health and for further information on key provincial mental health and addiction election issues.

********************