This provincial election, think of your someone.

Before you vote—before you mark that X—stop.


Think of your someone.

The friend who’s struggling but says they’re fine. The family member who can’t seem to catch a break. The neighbour you don’t see much anymore. The person you lost too soon.

We are in the middle of a crisis. A drug-poisoning crisis. A homelessness crisis. A mental health and addictions crisis that is stealing lives, tearing families apart, and leaving thousands with nowhere to turn. Every three hours, someone in Ontario dies of an opioid overdose. More than 80,000 Ontarians experienced homelessness last year. Homelessness has risen by 50% in the last eight years.

This isn’t just a political issue—it’s a human issue. It’s about the people we love. It’s about making sure no one falls through the cracks because they couldn’t afford to wait for care, because they couldn’t find supportive housing, because they couldn’t survive in a system that wasn’t built to help them.

Ontario’s mental health and addictions sector is at a breaking point. We need funding for frontline workers who are burnt out and underpaid. We need more housing, more crisis services, more access to care.

Every dollar invested in mental health saves two dollars in long-term costs. But this isn’t just about the numbers—it’s about the people behind them.

So before you vote—before you decide Ontario’s future—think of your someone. Vote for the candidate who will fight for them. Vote for the policies that could save their life. Vote like it matters. Because everyone is someone’s someone.

Ontario’s health budget last year was over $71 billion, with only three per cent going to community mental health and addictions.

Know the facts.

See what each party has promised in terms of mental health and addictions.

Check back often – this list will be updated as the election unfolds.

Progressive Conservative Party

Past Initiatives: In 2020, the Progressive Conservative government introduced the “Roadmap to Wellness,” aiming to create a comprehensive and connected mental health and addictions system in Ontario.

Current Campaign: As of now, the party’s 2025 campaign has not highlighted new mental health or addictions policies.

Ontario Liberal Party

Past Proposals: During the 2023 leadership race, candidates advocated for:

  • Creating a universal OHIP-like insurance plan for mental health services.
  • Investing in primary care innovations and expanding access to mental health services in schools and at-risk communities.
  • Allocating a minimum of 10% of provincial health funding to mental health services.
 

Current Campaign: While specific mental health policies have not been prominently featured in the 2025 campaign, Liberal party leadership has emphasized the need to “fix health care.” 

New Democratic Party

 Past Advocacy: The NDP has consistently called for increased funding and support for mental health and addictions services.

Current Campaign: NDP leadership has promised a plan to end encampments and address the rise in homelessness in the province. As part of this plan, the NDP leader pledges to create 60,000 new supportive housing units, to upload shelter funding to the province, and to bring in more housing benefits to help people move from shelters into homes.

Green Party of Ontario

 Past Initiatives: The Green Party has proposed:

  • Expanding access to mental health and addictions care under OHIP
  • An immediate base budget increase of 8% for the community mental health sector.

 

Current Campaign: As of now, the party has not released new mental health policies for the 2025 election.

Raise your voice: Swipe for questions to ask your candidate:

The current provincial funding model is ineffective for the crisis at hand.

The community-based mental health and addictions sector is an integral part of Ontario’s healthcare infrastructure. We are an essential service requiring adequate funding and resources so the broader health system can operate efficiently and effectively. Yet our sector has received only one base budget increase in the last 11 years. In the face of double-digit inflation and rising cost of living, this lack of funding has resulted in a workforce that is crumbling, overworked and burned out. The elevated urgency, complexity, and severity of our clients’ needs has become nearly impossible to manage with our current inadequate funding.

Help us make change

Public perception of addiction and substance use won’t change
without awareness, education and conversation.
Help us spread empathy and understanding toward people who are struggling.

Someone’s Someone is a campaign by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Ontario, intended to raise awareness and increase empathy and understanding toward people who use substances or are living with addiction.

Learn more about CMHA and its Ontario network at ontario.cmha.ca