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Influencing Policy
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Public PolicyCAMH 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:
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:
January 2011:
ID#1365 -SP
Content updated:
November 11, 2011 12:32 PM
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