OTTAWA — The Carney government is spending more than $6 million on mental health and addiction services aimed specifically at black Canadians, including programs designed to respond to mental health emergencies without police involvement.Health Minister Marjorie Michel announced the funding Tuesday in Toronto as part of Ottawa's Black Justice Strategy, a 10-year federal initiative launched in 2025 to address what the government describes as systemic discrimination.The money will be distributed among 13 projects across Canada, ranging from addiction counselling and youth mentorship to training for community workers responding to mental health crises.Among the largest recipients are the cities of Ottawa and Toronto, which will each receive $700,000 to expand or improve non-police mental health crisis response services.In Ottawa, the funding will help expand the Alternate Neighbourhood Crisis Response program, known as ANCHOR, into additional neighbourhoods, including four of the five areas with the city's largest black populations.Toronto will use its allocation to develop specialized training for its existing community crisis service, with an emphasis on responding to black residents experiencing mental health emergencies.“Through Canada's first-ever Black Justice Strategy, we're working directly with Black communities to empower community-led organizations and give them the support and resources they need to continue and strengthen this important work,” Michel said..The government is also providing $606,447 to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to develop training materials for organizations offering crisis intervention without police.Another $420,994 will go to the University of Toronto to develop tools intended to improve mental health services for black Canadians, including guidance for professionals handling crisis situations.Outside mental health crisis response, Ottawa is financing several substance use and addiction programs.In Toronto, Think2wice International will receive $524,651 for a program targeting black youth and young adults aged 16 to 29 who have experienced violence, incarceration or gang involvement.The initiative will use hip-hop therapy, mentorship and workshops to connect participants with addiction and mental health services.Another Toronto organization, Midaynta Community Services, will receive $581,371 to support black youth involved with correctional institutions or transitioning out of addiction treatment.In the National Capital Region, the Canadian Women of Colour Leadership Network will receive $392,500 to help black adults leaving institutional or hospital-based addiction treatment.Other projects will operate in Winnipeg, Windsor, Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories.Justice Minister Sean Fraser said the funding reflects the government's position that addressing discrimination requires action beyond the criminal justice system.“Canada's Black Justice Strategy recognizes that achieving fair outcomes for Black communities requires more than addressing barriers within the criminal justice system alone,” Fraser said.The strategy was introduced under the Trudeau government and includes a decade-long plan to address anti-black racism through federal policies and community programs.According to Health Canada, Ottawa has already committed $18 million through its Mental Health of Black Canadians Fund since 2018, supporting 61 projects involving 43 black-led organizations.Tuesday's announcement adds funding through two separate federal programs, the Substance Use and Addictions Program and the Supporting Community Mental Health Crisis Response Initiative.
