500 signatures reached
To: Doug Ford
Stop the cuts to Ontario's Mental Healthcare!
We urge Premier Ford to halt his stated intention to shift mental health funding to policing. We urge the elected officials in Ontario to consult with mental health and community safety advocates to shape representative and equitable public policy.
Why is this important?
The people of Ontario are deeply concerned by Premier Ford's stated intention to divert mental health funding towards policing, in light of a mass shooting carried out by a mentally troubled person.
From the beginning of Ford's premiership, his promised investment of $1.9 billion in mental health investments over 10 years already represented a $335 million annual cut in proposed funding to mental health. [1]
From this already small proposed investment, Ford proposed shifting some of this mental health funding to policing. [2]
This shift in policy perpetuates the long-standing problem of using reactionary measures like criminalization to address mental health issues, when instead, proactive measures like mental health support are needed. [3] The proposed shift in funding will harm the people of Ontario who depend on already scarce mental health resources, while signalling to the public that state force is an appropriate substitute for accessible care.
[2] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ford-to-use-mental-health-money-for-policing-1.4759578
[3] https://www.researchgate.net/profile/J_Wormith/publication/19251180_The_Criminalization_of_Psychiatrically_Ill_People_A_Review_with_a_Canadian_Perspective/links/55b946f108ae092e965b313a/The-Criminalization-of-Psychiatrically-Ill-People-A-Review-with-a-Canadian-Perspective.pdf
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Public Advocates in support of strengthening mental health funding:
Bhutila Karpoche, MPP for Parkdale-High Park
Community Organizations in support of strengthening mental health funding:
Warrior Women of Quinte