A $240,000 grant from the Ontario government will allow Fort Frances to significantly enhance its mobile mental health crisis response team over the next few years, a move the town council hailed as a big boost to the program.
The money will go towards materials and services to support the OPP and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) to hire an additional crisis worker for the Mobile Crisis Response Team.
“It’s just such a positive move,” Councillor John McTaggart said. “We’ve been so fortunate over the past few years to have had one, then one-and-a-half, and then two mental health workers. This will allow for an extension of that.”
Mayor Andrew Hallikas said crisis response workers in Fort Frances do amazing jobs, removing some of the stress from the healthcare system.
“Rather than repeatedly bringing people with mental issues or addiction issues to the hospital, they get to know them,” Hallikas said, adding that such familiarity can give respite to somebody in crisis.
“Sometimes (they) can, just by talking to them, counselling them, avoid a trip to the hospital.”
The money will support coverage for the period between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., when calls for service are most prevalent, and will also help with weekends.
Hallikas said the grant allows a sound partnership between the town, the OPP, and the CMHA to deploy trained mental health care workers on the frontline. “It’s a very, very strong one, and it’s getting some work done.”
The municipal treasury will prepare a reporting template and claim submission form so funds can flow to the CMHA based on costs and to support future reporting requirements until March 2027.
The town will work with the provincial police force and the CMHA to support the ongoing need for more mental health assistance on police calls for service and to better leverage mental health expertise.
