U of R receives $20 million to fund mental health projects
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) provided $20 million to the University of Regina to fund five projects in support of mental health, the largest one-time funding contribution in the University of Regina’s history.
“Canada’s frontline and essential workers have sacrificed so much to keep us healthy and safe throughout the pandemic, and they deserve our support,” said the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and Associate Minister of Health in a news release.
"The investment today is so important because we are trying to get ahead of a massive series of challenges that are coming out of having leaned on a very few people across our country so hard, for so long now,” said Dr. Nick Carlton, professor at U of R and scientific doctor for the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment.
The funding will go towards:
- Expansion and evaluation of the Before Operational Stress Program
- Canadian Institutes for Pandemic Health Education and Response
- Prevention resources and supports for public safety personnel and their families
- Advancing peer support programming to address PTSD and trauma among Canadian public safety personnel and veterans
- Training and Development Program for public safety personnel
The University of Regina, along with several partners in Canada, will lead the projects.
Providing at-risk family members with mental health resources and supports is critical for addressing their needs and also supports the mental well-being of the associated public safety personnel,” said Dr. Nathalie Reid of the Trauma Research Centre (CRTC) at the University of Regina, who also co-leads one of the projects.
Throughout the pandemic, the country saw the impacts of mental health on health care providers, first responders and public safety personnel, and the hope from all involved this announcement, is that this funding shows current and future Canadians entering these fields that support is there for them.
“In funding this ever, more important research, is thanking people for their service. That this is about us keeping people well, not just patching them up when they get sick,” said Minister Bennett.
The mental health challenges were there before the pandemic, and Dr. Carlton says will be significantly felt after as well.
"And these are people who were reporting significant mental health challenges long before the pandemic and have made true sacrifices. I know paramedics for example who have gone weeks without breaks, nurses who have gone weeks without breaks, police officers who have exposed themselves to COVID."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.