Catherine Fife MPP, Waterloo

QUEEN’S PARK – Catherine Fife, NDP MPP for Waterloo, is calling for a firm commitment from the Ford government to fund youth mental wellness centres in Waterloo.
 
“The past few years have been hard on young people across the province,” said Fife. “Students often face challenges in accessing mental health support and find limited resources available when they reach out for help. It can be so difficult for young people to take that important step and seek care – the idea that none might be available when they do is simply heartbreaking”.
 
Fife has been working with Minister Tibollo to secure funding for mental wellness hubs like Kitchener’s Carizon, after Waterloo student Kaitlyn Roth died by suicide as a young adult after facing challenges in accessing mental health support. In the wake of the tragedy, the Roth family have been working with Fife and Tibollo to ensure mental wellness supports will always be available for anyone who needs them.
 
“Mental health should not be a partisan issue. The provincial government needs to make a commitment today to ensure that mental wellness hubs like Carizon have the resources they need to support people in our communities,” said Fife “We owe it to people across this province to have the resources they need, when they need it.”
 
For additional mental health support access across the province, the Ontario NDP have been calling for an expansion to OHIP to include universal mental health care, public access to psychotherapy for all Ontarians, funding for primary care physicians, and legislation to recognize mental health is just as important as physical health.
 
“Mental health is just as important as physical health,” said Fife. “It’s time we fix our broken mental health care system and ensure that every person – young or old – has the ability to access quality, timely care."