Ontario is adding new curriculum expectations for Grade 10 students on mental health literacy and giving teachers more resources for students in Grades 7 and 8.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce says the government will also spend $26 million over the next two years to provide mental health resources to students over the summer, so their support isn’t interrupted by the school break.
He made the announcements today alongside Natalie Pierre, who represents the riding of Burlington for the Progressive Conservatives and who has been pushing for more mental health literacy in schools since her teenage son died by suicide a few years ago.
Pierre says this approach is proactive, practical and evidence based, reaching students at a time when mental health issues often emerge, and she hopes the new steps help prevent tragedies like the one her family experienced….