Public Policy

CAMH promotes positive system change by working collaboratively on issues such as housing, income supports, health care reform, and many others that affect the health of people with mental illness and addictions.

CAMH is committed to advocating for public policies that are responsive to the needs of people with addiction and mental health problems and to working with others to achieve this goal. Since 1999, CAMH has dedicated resources to public policy development. With input from staff, clients, family and stakeholders, CAMH has advocated for changes in government policies in areas such as housing, income supports, harm reduction, mandatory drug testing, and health care reform.

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In this section:

What's new:

October 2011:

CAMH experts lend testimony in Bill C-10 hearings
- Drug use is highly prevalent among incarcerated people, with up to 90% of the standing prison population involved in illicit substance use. Recently the Conservative government’s much discussed omnibus crime bill passed second reading. Bill C-10, “An Act to enact the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act and to amend the State Immunity Act, the Criminal Code, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and other Acts,” is currently being considered by House of Commons committees. The Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security is holding a series of hearings on the topic of drugs and alcohol in the national corrections system. On October 18, this committee heard expert testimony from Dr. Sandy Simpson, Clinical Director of CAMH's Law and Mental Health Program, and Wayne Skinner, Deputy Director of the Addictions Program at CAMH.

CAMH Response to AGCO Regulatory Review of Responsible Gambling (PDF)
- In February 2011, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) announced plans to develop a new risk-based regulatory framework to govern gambling in the province. The AGCO conducted consultations on the structure of this new framework, and on September 28, 2011, representatives of CAMH and the Problem Gambling Institute of Ontario (PGIO) participated in a roundtable discussion on the regulation of gambling with staff from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. This submission was sent to the AGCO to summarize and follow up on this discussion.

August 2011:

CAMH Gambling Policy Framework (PDF)
- The purpose of this framework document is to 1) facilitate CAMH's responses to emerging gambling policy-related issues with all levels of government, 2) provide a model for the development and implementation of gambling policies that most effectively address the health and social harms that often accompany gambling, 3) signal to the community CAMH’s perspective on gambling policy, and 4) encourage a convergence of research and practice within CAMH on gambling policy issues. The document lists seven principles for a public health approach to gambling in Ontario and gives recommendations for action around each principle.

CAMH Recommendations on Internet Gambling in Ontario (PDF)
- In August of 2010, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) announced plans to have a“socially responsible and secure” online gambling program in place in Ontario by 2012. The recommendations in this document flow from empirical evidence, the knowledge of clinicians and health promoters at CAMH and in the community, and the experiences of CAMH clients and their families. Section 1 is a statement of CAMH’s position, focusing on general concerns and recommendations. Section 2 is composed of our responses to specific OLG questions around responsible gaming tools and platform elements being considered for internet gambling in Ontario.

June 2011:

Ontario Mental Health and Addictions Alliance
- CAMH and nine other organizations have joined forces to mobilize Ontarians to Vote for Mental Health and Addictions in the October 2011 provincial election.

May 2011:

What stops us from working? New ways to make work pay by fixing the treatment of earnings under the Ontario Disability Support Program (PDF)
- This report, commissioned by The Dream Team, Houselink, and CAMH, makes the case for reform of ODSP practices that discourage recipients from working. Personal narratives of ODSP recipients illustrate the roadblocks faced by recipients, and these narratives are linked to concrete policy recommendations intended to promote greater labour market attachment for ODSP recipients. Implementing the changes recommended in this report should help bring down the extraordinarily high unemployment rate of ODSP recipients and enhance their ability to find fulfillment, financial self-sufficiency, and better health outcomes through productive employment.

February 2011:

CPSO Drugs and Prescribing: Policy Review (PDF)
- This document outlines a number of suggestions for the review of drug and prescribing policies of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.

January 2011:

Integrating Tobacco Cessation into Addictions Treatment (ITCAT) Ontario Field Survey 2010 (Summary Report) (PDF)
Survey of Smoking Cessation & Addiction Agencies (Full report) (PDF)
Integrating Tobacco Interventions Field Consultation Report (PDF)
- To address the long-standing marginalization of tobacco in Ontario’s addiction treatment system, an initiative called Integrating Tobacco Cessation into Addictions Treatment (ITCAT) has taken form. The strategic goal of ITCAT, which is a collaboration of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Addictions Ontario, CONNEXOntario, and the Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction Programs, is that Ontario’s addiction treatment system will fully integrate the provision of smoking cessation services into programs for its clients.

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Content updated: November 11, 2011 12:32 PM