Government of Canada invests in mental health promotion in Ontario

The funding announced today is part of the program’s second phase of funding supporting 6 projects in Ontario for a total investment of $8.6 million.

June 2022

The Mental Health Promotion Innovation Fund (MHP-IF) provides national funding to support the delivery of innovative, community-based programs in mental health promotion for infants, children and youth, young adults and their caregivers. This funding supports priority groups susceptible to mental health inequities, such as First Nations, Inuit and Métis, 2SLGBTQI+, newcomers and refugees, and people with other socio-economic risk factors.

The funding announced today is part of the program’s second phase of funding supporting 6 projects in Ontario for a total investment of $8.6 million.

Project overviews:

Indigenous-led community focused project

Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto - receiving $1,325,000 to further implement, evaluate and scale Nurturing the Seed (NTS), a strength-based health intervention designed for Indigenous children (birth to six) that focuses on the promotion of infant and early mental health (IEMH).

Project focused on newcomers/refugees

University of Western Ontario in London - receiving $1,290,775 to further implement and evaluate Supporting Transition Resilience of Newcomer Groups (STRONG), a small group intervention to promote resilience and reduce psychological distress among newcomer students by promoting individual strengths, building skills to make positive choices, and providing a sense of self and belonging.

Childhood and youth development projects

Association francophone à l’éducation des services à l’enfance de l’Ontario in Ottawa - receiving $1,350,000 to build upon the training model that examines the effect of promising strategies and joint effort between early years professionals, community stakeholders, and the parents of children aged 2 to 12 and aims to promote the healthy development of children through free and adventurous play.

Community Food Centres Canada in Toronto - receiving $1,323,192 to further co-develop, implement, test, and evaluate the Mind Your Food (MYF) program that builds protective factors for mental health in youth (aged 13-19) experiencing food insecurity.

Project supporting LGBTQ2 communities

Central Toronto Youth Services in Toronto - receiving $1,350,000 to continue the development, adaptation, implementation, and evaluation of the Families in TRANSition (FIT) Program, an innovative population health intervention designed to significantly improve and promote the mental health of Canadian transgender, non-binary and gender questioning (trans) youth and young adults ages 13-24.

Knowledge Development and Exchange (KDE) Hub

University of Waterloo, University College Renison in Waterloo - receiving $2,000,000 to continue supporting the KDE Hub. The KDE Hub is focused on sharing best available evidence from research and building new evidence for mental health promotion for young Canadians that is sensitive to diverse cultures and contexts. The KDE Hub hosts an interactive web-based platform to support all MHP-IF funded projects to share lessons learned, connect with various stakeholders and apply new knowledge to a broader policy and system change agenda.