Ontario failing to provide adequate mental health services for youth and children, auditor general says

Ethan Lang · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 31, 2025 3:59 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Ontario is failing to supply capable intelligence wellness services for younker and children, according to the province's auditor general.

In 1 of 2 reports released by the auditor wide Monday, Shelley Spence recovered children and younker successful Ontario are astatine hazard of not being capable to entree the intelligence wellness services successful their communities erstwhile they request them. 

"As 1 successful 5 children and younker successful Ontario volition acquisition intelligence wellness challenges successful their lifetimes, the Province needs to guarantee young radical and their families person timely entree to the services and supports that government-funded agencies supply to assistance them done hard times," Spence said successful a merchandise Monday.

Supports for children with intelligence wellness needs are inadequate successful much than fractional of the province's 33 work areas, Spence said successful the report.

Only 13 work areas supply live-in attraction for those with the astir terrible needs, the study found, and mean hold times for that benignant of attraction successful 2023-2024 was 105 days. That's up from 94 days the twelvemonth before.

Of the younker intelligence wellness agencies surveyed for the report, 70 per cent said services bash not conscionable the needs of younker "with concurrent intelligence wellness and addictions disorders," and 66 per cent said determination aren't capable services for younker transitioning into adulthood.

Additionally, entree to a unafraid attraction programme — for children and younker astatine hazard of harming themselves oregon others — is lone provided by 3 agencies, each located successful the Greater Toronto Area and eastbound Ontario, the study found.

"Children and younker successful different regions would request to beryllium importantly distanced from their families to person these services," Spence said successful the report.

Funding gaps successful immoderate areas, backing surpluses successful others

Oversight of children's intelligence wellness services was transferred from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services to the Ministry of Health (MOH) successful 2018. The auditor general's audit recovered that the authorities section did not ever supply younker intelligence wellness services "in an evidence-based, timely, equitable and co-ordinated manner."

There were backing gaps for services successful immoderate parts of the province, the study found, but backing surpluses successful others. Surpluses totalled $66 cardinal crossed the province, and the study recovered much than $64 cardinal person yet to beryllium collected. The study enactment portion of the blasted connected spotty information postulation by MOH.

MOH besides lacks a strategy to code staffing shortages, which the ministry acknowledged volition pb to increases successful hospitalizations, exigency country visits and hold times, the study found.

The state spends astir $530 cardinal annually connected backing for the agencies that supply intelligence wellness services for younker and children.

The study provided 22 recommendations to MOH, which Spence said person each been accepted by the government.

A spokesperson for Health Minister Sylvia Jones told CBC Toronto the authorities is committed to improving entree to services.

The provincial Liberals' intelligence wellness critic says the study highlights the Ford government's "lack of priority" for the attraction and information of Ontarians.

"I'm precise acrophobic astir the absorption of this authorities with our health-care system," MPP Lee Fairclough told reporters Monday.

"It's 105 days for the astir intensive attraction services. And tin you ideate being a genitor oregon a kid waiting 3 months to beryllium capable to get entree to that benignant of care?" she said.

Testing of non-municipal drinking h2o an issue: AG

The auditor wide besides released a 2nd study Monday, saying the state needs to amended oversight of non-municipal drinking water, thing she says astir 3 cardinal Ontario residents trust on.

While 98 per cent of each samples tested from non-municipal drinking-water systems implicit the past decennary person met provincial prime standards, the study noted that not each non-municipal drinking h2o is required to beryllium tested.

On apical of that, the study recovered not each strategy owners trial their h2o arsenic required, with the state seldom enforcing compliance.

Research reviewed for the study showed little than one-third of Ontarians who get their h2o from backstage wells trial their drinking water.

That deficiency of investigating exposes Ontarians to risks, Spence said successful the report, including gastrointestinal unwellness and death.