There is a significant stigma and discrimination directed at individuals and their families who suffer from addictions and mental health challenges rather than recognizing them as an illness that requires the same response from the community and health care professionals as does heart disease or cancer. If we could eliminate this stigma, we would have a better opportunity to increase appropriate financial resources directed at prevention, harm reduction, treatment services, and more people seeking help. Addictions and mental health would be recognized for the health issue that it is and would be treated as such.

It was around 2008 when local professionals working in crime prevention, justice enforcement, and addiction treatment raised concerns about the increase in addictions in our community. There is a high financial cost, a high human cost, and a high cost to the health of the population.  There are solutions to this crisis, but there is no single solution. It is tempting to say that if we had more treatment beds that would solve the crisis or that a supervised injection site would solve the crisis, or that more outreach workers would solve the crisis or that fewer prescriptions would, more pain support clinics would, less human trauma would, increased police focus would, less availability of bootleg opioids would; in fact, it is a combination of all these things and more that will be needed to solve the crisis.  It costs more to not address this crisis than to address it.

The Waterloo Region Integrated Drug Strategy (WRIDS) is a valuable resource. With adequate funding and support, we can address problematic substance use in Waterloo Region. The WRIDS works with the philosophy that to effectively address addictions in our community an integrated approach needs to be taken, focusing on prevention, harm reduction, rehabilitation, recovery, enforcement, and justice. We need to invest in effective prevention strategies, recognize the important role harm reduction plays in overall individual and community health, ensure there are enough treatment spaces, for individuals that need them, when they need them, and that enforcement and justice services are strong.

Mental health continues as a major health care issue in our Region. Like addictions, we need to work at removing the stigma associated with mental health challenges so individuals and their families who are suffering do not feel a sense of discrimination when publicly acknowledging their illness or reaching out for help. Those dealing with mental health challenges have no boundaries related to age, gender, resources, or ethnicity – it effects our families, neighbours, co-workers, and friends, which is all the more reason that we remove any stigma from the hidden pain they are feeling, and instead encourage them to seek medical help as we would if they had any other health concerns.

If I have the honour of being re-elected to Waterloo Regional Council, I commit myself to help eliminate the stigma associated with addictions and mental health,

Re-elect JIM ERB …. a responsive, reliable, and respectful voice.