By Sam Bennison

To Your Health

New report shows Canadians mental health worse than before COVID-19

Dec 4, 2024 | 2:25 PM

PRINCE GEORGE— The outlook is grim according to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) after a new report show that Canadians are struggling with mental illness three times more than before the pandemic. Elaine Leberge, executive director for the CMHA of Northern BC says that one of the reason for the increase is a growing amount of Canadians facing poverty.

“It really comes down to that cost of living and and in affordability. It isn’t just food and it isn’t just medical care that costs money, it’s that housing is a really big piece,” says Leberge. “For anyone who has experienced housing precarity or homelessness, it is absolutely traumatic.”

The report also indicates that B.C. is being hit extra hard. B.C. not only has the highest rate of overdoses out of any province but those experiencing mental illness are also facing the most amount of discrimination. Leberge says that translates to those who have mental illness facing barriers when searching for housing.

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The report includes a call to action to make mental health care part of the universal health care system.However Leberge is also calling on Canada to address the mental health issues at their source.

“If we want to address mental health across this nation and in B.C., we have got to address social class inequality,” says Leberge. “We can’t ignore that. It isn’t just about the middle class, it’s about those who are being pushed into abject poverty and understanding poverty is trauma.”

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Email: sam.bennison@pattisonmedia.com