The Ontario government is putting together a $3.8-billion fund for mental health and addictions treatment.
The fund, rolling out over 10 years, is to “develop and implement a comprehensive and connected mental health and addictions strategy.”
The announcement came out the same day ag minister Ernie Hardeman held a round table with farm leaders and Professor Andria Jones-Bitton, a University of Guelph researcher who dropped a bombshell study on the issue in 2016. Her review found that in Ontario, as many as 45 per cent of farmers showed signs of high stress, and as many as 35 could be at risk of depression.
The meeting is just the latest in a series of moves by various groups in the province and country. The Grain Farmers of Ontario, on the heels of Western Ontario’s vomitoxin woes, added a Farmer Health area to its front page, which includes links to crisis centres and advice on managing stress.
