At last Monday's meeting, Owen Sound city council unanimously passed a motion in support of the recommendations contained in a submission to the Ministry of Health by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.

"A whole of government response to mental health, which includes a comprehensive and integrated provincial response, is needed in all communities, regardless of
location ...AMO looks forward to continuing to work with the province to ensure all Ontarians can access the mental health and addictions services they need."

WHEREAS Issues of mental health and addictions consistently top the list of concerns expressed by municipalities across Ontario, including Owen Sound – in particular, the lack of an integrated and comprehensive provincial-municipal response to mental health in terms of services, supports, prevention, and equitable access;

WHEREAS Owen Sound, as a lower-tier municipality, does not receive funding for health and addictions yet deals with the increasing social and economic effects of community mental health and addictions in the context of the municipality’s services;

WHEREAS Addressing mental health and substance use issues is essential to our communities' social and economic development. Otherwise, it will continue to take a devastating toll;

WHEREAS Grey County recently recognized that the cost to house a person in the community with mental health support is $72 per day, compared to $460 per day to house a person in jail or $485 per day in hospital;

WHEREAS the need for action is urgent, and local mental health and addictions responses must be complemented by provincial leadership and support;

WHEREAS the Association of Ontario Municipalities (AMO) recently submitted recommendations to the provincial government that have been developed based on input from AMO’s Health Task Force and approved by AMO’s Board of Directors; and

WHEREAS the submission has been reviewed by and incorporates input from the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario (CMHA – Ontario) and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC); therefore

BE IT RESOLVED THAT Owen Sound Council provides its strong support for the Association of Ontario Municipalities’ submission to the Ministry of Health titled “An Integrated Approach to Mental Health and Addictions” dated August 2, 2022, and the recommendations contained in the submission, and;

THAT this resolution be forwarded to the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones; Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark; Premier Doug Ford; the local Members of Parliament; Association of Ontario Municipalities; CMHA Grey Bruce CEO, Clark MacFarlane; Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer of the Grey Bruce Health Unit, Dr. Ian Arra; President & CEO of Grey Bruce Health Services, Gary Sims; and the County of Grey for support."

 source: City of Owen Sound, Clek's office, on request