Younger Canadians are facing unique challenges right now, grappling with the effects of war and conflict, climate change, and a rising cost of living. Their mental health needs are complex, and our response needs to mirror that reality. We have an opportunity to listen to our youth and work with them to create better mental health resources and wellness supports right in their communities.
That's why the Government of Canada is supporting Integrated Youth Services (IYS), a model of care that is transforming how youth-focused mental health and substance use services are delivered across Canada. Instead of using a siloed approach, IYS provides youth with equitable access to "one-stop-shops" with a range of services and supports that contribute to health. This includes mental health and substance use services, alongside primary care, peer support, work and study supports, and more.
Today, the Honourable Ya'ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced an investment of $59 million in the Integrated Youth Services Network of Networks (IYS-Net) initiative to strengthen and expand this innovative model of care across Canada.
Led by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and partners, including the Graham Boeckh Foundation, IYS-Net is an initiative to link all provincial, territorial, and Indigenous IYS networks. This investment will help these networks take their work to the next level, enabling them to do more research; collect, process and share data; and coordinate their work. The goal is to create a pan-Canadian "learning health system" where research evidence, data, and the lived experiences of youth are used to inform processes, policies and best practices to improve service delivery across Canada.
This funding includes:
- $9 million over five years for six IYS provincial networks in Québec, Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, and the national Indigenous network.
- $21 million in upcoming funding to expand IYS-Net to all provinces and territories, and more than $10 million to enable the Indigenous IYS network to develop into a true pan-Canadian, distinctions-based, integrated network representing the needs of Indigenous Peoples across Canada.
- $18 million for the IYS Data Platform to allow researchers, decision makers and other key knowledge users and service providers to have more timely, accurate, comprehensive, and diverse data sets on youth mental health and substance use.
This investment is made possible thanks to support from partners including the Graham Boeckh Foundation (GBF), the Bell-GBF Partnership, Indigenous Services Canada, RBC, the McConnell Foundation, the Hunter Family Foundation and the Medavie Foundation.
