Latest news happening in the settlement sector of Ontario.
Here we post new publications (studies, reports), government notices and more.
Every year, 2.5 million Ontarians experience a mental health or addictions challenge. Ontario is joining Addictions and Mental Health Ontario to mark the province's thirteenth annual Recovery Month. This September, the government is building awareness, challenging stigma and recognizing the role that recovery plays in improving the lives of individuals, families and communities dealing with addictions.
Ontario is providing more comprehensive services for people who are seeking to quit smoking by transitioning telephone-based smoking cessation services in Ontario from Smokers' Helpline to the Telehealth Ontario platform.
Ontario is making major investments to expand home and community care to help end hallway health care and build more capacity in communities across the province.
Today theDeputy Premier and Minister of Health, was at Hillcrest Reactivation Centre to announce that the government is investing an additional $155 million this year to expand home and community care services.
As a part of this investment, the government is providing $45 million for targeted innovative integrated care models in high-need areas.
In Ontario, about 14 per cent of high school students reported having seriously contemplated suicide in the past year and about four per cent reported having attempted suicide. It's an issue that touches the lives of thousands of Ontarians and their communities each year. That's why Ontario is adding connected mental health services for children and youth in schools, communities and health centres.
Across the province, there are more than 34,000 Ontarians waiting to get into a long-term care home, putting strain on the health care system and leaving residents waiting too long for the care they desperately need. The government is taking swift action and delivering on its commitment to end hallway health care by adding more long-term care beds in communities across Ontario.
The governments of Canada and Ontario have formally committed to working together toward the establishment of the Université de l'Ontario français through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie, signed on behalf of the Government of Canada. The Minister of Transportation and Francophone Affairs, and the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, signed on behalf of the Government of Ontario.
Ontario's government is supporting students and their families when making requests to bring their service animals into schools and classrooms. Today, the Minister of Education; the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education; and the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, announced a new policy directive in support of Ontario students with special needs to improve their access to service animals in schools.
The Minister of Education, and the Minister of Transportation and Francophone Affairs announced funding of $26 million for the 2019-20 school year to invest in French-language education in this province.
The ministers also announced the outcome of negotiations with the federal government which will deliver an additional $4 million annually to support French-language education in Ontario. This additional funding will be allocated to school boards and postsecondary institutions in the coming weeks.
This investment will provide the resources to:
Today, the Minister of Infrastructure announced that the province is now accepting funding applications for projects under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program's (ICIP) Community, Culture and Recreation (CCR) stream. The funding will go towards investing in community, culture and recreational projects that will help deliver vital services for communities, foster greater social inclusion and improve the quality of life for residents across the province.
Canada is making the Student Direct Stream (SDS) available to international students coming from Senegal and Morocco, starting September 9, 2019.
By providing fast, reliable processing of study permit applications, Canada is better equipped to compete in attracting the best and the brightest from around the world.
The more efficient SDS process was launched in 2018 for students applying from China, India, the Philippines and Vietnam, with an average processing time of less than 3 weeks.