Ontario's solicitor general has announced $18.3 million to help inmates and correction workers cope with mental health.
Sylvia Jones made the announcement at the Toronto East Detention Centre alongside Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Christine Elliott Thursday morning.
"Our police, courts, and correctional staff are under pressure as they deal with a fractured mental health care system and an addictions crisis," said Jones. "People don't get the help they need. Our jails are more dangerous. Our staff deal with increased violence, operational stress injuries, and mental health challenges of their own. And our families are put at risk as our justice system is stretched too thin."
The funding will go to support corrections staff suffering from mental health challenges and operational stress injuries and training for those workers so they can better manage inmates with mental illness. De-escalation training for police officers responding to calls involving mental illness, and an expansion of mobile crisis teams that respond to those calls with officers.
The Windsor Police Service already employs mobile crisis teams along with other cities, but on Tuesday, Jones told reporters the programs would be expanded province-wide.
A release from the Ministry of the Solicitor General said correctional and police officers had requested the training. It said many suffer their own mental health challenges and are increasingly being called on to deal with incidents involving mental illness and addictions.
"Today's investment will go directly towards services in the justice sector that will support the brave men and women who keep us safe while improving community safety for all Ontarians," said Jones.
On Tuesday, Elliott announced $174 million to improve mental health supports, including $30 million for programs in the community and $27 million for mental health workers in secondary schools. The announcement was met with skepticism from the Ontario Health Coalition which said funding levels have not changed.
This week's announcements are part of the Ford government's commitment to develop and implement a comprehensive mental health and addictions strategy. The provincial government plans to invest a total of $1.9 billion over ten years to match the $1.9 billion coming from the federal government.
