Government of Canada invests in research to inform better youth mental health and wellness services across the country

From: Canadian Institutes of Health Research

News release

September 2, 2025 – Montréal, Québec – Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Young people across Canada are facing unprecedented challenges with their mental health and wellness. Too often, the services they need are fragmented, difficult to access or not designed with them in mind. Indigenous youth continue to experience significant gaps in care.

To address these urgent challenges, the Government of Canada is investing more than $30 million over four years to strengthen and expand the existing Integrated Youth Services Network of Networks (IYS-Net) across the country. This investment will be made through the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) and Indigenous Services Canada, and their partners including the Graham Boeckh Foundation (GBF) and Bell-GBF partnership.

The Honourable Marjorie Michel, Canada’s Minister of Health, announced the funding today while visiting the Douglas Mental Health University Institute in Montreal, where youth mental health is one of their primary focus areas.

This funding will advance research, data and knowledge sharing within and across 12 provincial and territorial IYS networks and a pan-Canadian Indigenous network, to identify which supports work best for young people. IYS hubs aim to provide youth aged 12 to 25 and their families with a single, accessible place to find help with mental health, substance use, physical health, housing, peer support and other essential services.

With this investment, each network will receive funding to enhance its research capacity and IYS data system. For example:

  • In Newfoundland and Labrador, a new project is studying how to build on the success of Carter’s Hill Place, using it as a model to guide the launch of two more Integrated Youth Services hubs, while learning what supports help youth most and how to keep improving care over time.
  • In Alberta, Kickstand is developing “Kickstand360,” a province-wide learning health system co-designed with youth that uses data and continuous feedback to improve youth mental health services, and the StandOUT Lab, a youth-led research hub.
  • In Québec, Aire ouverte is strengthening its learning health system by expanding how data are collected and used, identifying research priorities and building stronger partnerships to make services for young people faster, easier to access and more effective.
  • In the Yukon, youth, Elders and communities will co-lead research to build a supportive learning community, map current services to identify gaps and develop new ways to share information between service providers, ensuring youth no longer have to “tell their story over and over” to get help.
  • Through the Indigenous IYS network, First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth and communities across Canada will lead research and co-design efforts to develop culturally grounded services rooted in Indigenous knowledge and governance.

By building stronger data systems, these networks will also form part of a pan-Canadian “Learning Health System”—a system where data, research and real-world experiences are continuously used to improve care, policies and outcomes for youth.

Quotes

“In order for young people to thrive, we need to deliver better access to mental health and wellness services. Today’s investment will help make that a reality in every province and territory, and it will make a real difference in the lives of young Canadians.”
– The Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health

“Mental health services for Indigenous youth should be shaped by their leadership and reflect who they are, where they come from, and what they need. This investment is one example of communities receiving adequate support that in turn, empowers them in building their own solutions. Together, we are helping future generations to succeed."
– The Honourable Mandy Gull-Masty, Minister of Indigenous Services

“Young people in Québec and across the country deserve mental health and wellness services that are accessible, inclusive, and built around their needs. This investment will help create stronger, smarter supports for youth and their families, so they can get the help they need, when they need it.”
– Claude Guay, Member of Parliament for LaSalle—Émard—Verdun

“This is research in action—evidence woven directly into the fabric of care. By investing in research on Integrated Youth Services and learning health systems, we are building a future where youth and families contribute to making IYS services smarter, more effective and more responsive. It’s about giving Canada’s youth the tools and supports they need to thrive, and practitioners the data they need to provide evidence-informed care.”
– Dr. Patricia Conrod, Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction

“These investments help provinces, territories and Indigenous communities in building their own learning systems for youth mental health services. They also provide resources to allow the sharing of knowledge and innovations across the country resulting in a powerful ecosystem in which services can continuously adapt and innovate.”
– Ian Boeckh, President, Graham Boeckh Foundation

Quick facts

  • IYS hubs bring together different services under one roof—such as mental health, substance use, peer support, primary care, housing, education and employment support—making it easier for youth and families to find the help they need, when and where they need it.

  • A learning health system is a model where data from care, research and lived experience is continuously gathered, analyzed and fed back into practice. This means services can be improved in real time, based on what is working and what is not.

  • Through the IYS-Net Initiative, led by CIHR’s Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction, research networks have now been funded in each of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories, plus one Indigenous network conducting research to inform better services for First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth across the country.

  • This phase of IYS-Net is co-funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Indigenous Services Canada, the Graham Boeckh Foundation and the Bell-GBF Partnership. CIHR’s broader Integrated Youth Services Network of Networks (IYS-Net) initiative is also supported by partners RBC and RBC Foundation, the McConnell Foundation, the Hunter Family Foundation and the Medavie Foundation.

Associated links

Contacts

Guillaume Bertrand
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Marjorie Michel
Minister of Health
guillaume.bertrand@hc-sc.gc.ca

Livi McElrea
Press Secretary and Issues Manager
Office of the Honourable Mandy Gull-Masty
Minister of Indigenous Services 
olivia.mcelrea@sac-isc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

At the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) we know that research has the power to change lives. As Canada's health research investment agency, we collaborate with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health care system. This year, we celebrate CIHR’s 25th anniversary. Discover the impact of research on the health of Canadians.

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