OTTAWA — Mike Schreiner made the following statement on the mental health impacts of the occupation on Ottawa:
“The month-long occupation continues to have a negative impact on the mental health of Ottawans and mental health care needs to be made affordable and accessible to them.
Families and children were fearful to go outside their house, tortured by horns and toxic fumes and were harassed by white supremacists.
Ottawa Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Etches said that trauma is being felt city-wide. And experts worry many of the effects could be long-lasting — and compounded on top of the severe mental health impacts of the past two years of the pandemic.
Mental health is health.
I’m calling on the Premier to make both immediate and longer-term mental health services affordable and accessible to the people of Ottawa by:
- Significantly expanding access to mental health and addiction care under OHIP so mental health care doesn’t break the bank
- Immediately funding community mental health services in Ottawa
- Developing a 3 digit (e.g. 7-1-1) dedicated crisis response line and health-focused crisis response teams to respond to mental health and substance related calls