All Party Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Addictions Meeting Minutes

Areas of improvement included: Doorways to provide short term mental health care to individuals; Bridge the Gapp as an accessible resource for family members; the new mental health hospital providing a clean, modern facility; and Strongest Families. [...] • It is important to reach out to and listen to people with lived experience and engage them in a way that feels safe for them to share. [...] • In addition to these more short-term potential improvements described above, Government should work on creating shorter wait times, providing free medication and therapy, increase the programs available, and increase the number of psychiatrists in the province. [...] Glenn Roil, Sarah Furlong, and Pam Pardy provided an overview of their lived experiences as mental health advocates and their new organization, the Mental Health Foundation of Canada. [...] for virtual care options, not everyone may have reliable, high speed internet access or access to a smart phone or computer; • The Foundation outlined the importance of developing curriculum in schools to promote mental health and wellness education, awareness, and help reduce stigma.