Mayors from Saskatchewan’s cities are extremely concerned with the availability of mental health and addictions support in Saskatchewan.
“Mental health and addictions programs have never been sufficient to meet the need in Saskatchewan, or even across Canada,” Mayor Gerald Aalbers, Chair of SUMA’s City Mayors Caucus (CMC), said. “The stress of the pandemic has significantly increased the need for these services, worsening the situation into a national crisis.”
The SUMA City Mayors’ Caucus was pleased to host federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Carolyn Bennett, and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, Dan Vandal, at their meeting on February 11. The ministers spoke on what the federal government is doing on the mental health and addictions file, and how they will ensure that the needs of Saskatchewan municipalities are addressed. City mayors will be meeting with Saskatchewan’s Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors and Rural and Remote Health Everett Hindley in early March to discuss current initiatives at the provincial level.
“Every day, our city mayors are receiving calls from concerned citizens with loved ones that need help,” Mayor Aalbers said. “But these loved ones may wait months before they can access any form of services. And for those that do receive help with their addiction, there are insufficient supports after they’ve finished treatment to ensure that they successfully defeat their addiction in the long term.”
SUMA is calling on the Government of Saskatchewan to increase the availability of mental health supports to help people address their trauma, and to provide further supports for those seeking help with addictions.