Ontario Liberals propose $2.1B to ‘rebuild’ mental health system

TORONTO – Ontario’s Liberal government is promising to spend $2.1 billion over the next four years to “rebuild” the province’s mental health system.

Premier Kathleen Wynne says that the spending will make services more accessible, ensuring people can find treatment through a local doctor’s office, school or community-based organization.

WATCH: Wynne promises free prescription drugs for seniors, Ford reverses himself on balanced budget

Wynne says her plan would bolster youth access to therapy and counselling, allowing 12,000 more young people to access service in 2018-2019 and growing that number to 46,000 in 2021-2022.

It also calls for every secondary school in the province to have access to an additional mental health worker, creating approximately 400 new positions within two years.

READ MORE: Ontario Liberals focus on hospital wait times, mental-health services in throne speech

The program would also increase access to publicly funded psychotherapy, including cognitive behavioural therapy, for up to 350,000 more people with mild to moderate anxiety or depression.

The announcement comes after a government throne speech Monday that promised a significant funding commitment for mental health in the provincial budget, which will be tabled on March 28.