The Council of the Federation, an organization composed of the 13 provincial and territorial premiers, has announced a one-time $5,000 award to reward innovations and excellence in care in the field of mental health and addictions.
“I am pleased to extend a call for nominations for this $5,000 award,” said Everett Hindley, Mental Health and Addictions Minister. “We are committed to supporting high-quality mental health and addictions services in Saskatchewan. An important part of that is recognizing and supporting innovation and service excellence.”
The nomination form can be downloaded from Saskatchewan.ca/MHAward2022.
Each province will award one individual or organization. Nominations are open until May 19 and can be submitted by email or mailed in. Almost any non-governmental individual or organization is eligible for the award, including community-based organizations (CBOs), academic, Indigenous-led, or private sector. Indigenous government initiative nominations are accepted.
In addition to the monetary award, recipients will receive a certificate signed by their respective premier and will be nationally recognized and used as examples to promote further innovation across Canada.
Award recipients will be announced July 25-27, 2022, in Victoria, B.C. at the Council of the Federation (COF) Summer Meeting.
Saskatchewan’s award will be presented formally in the fall.
John Horgan, BC premier and COF chair, said that “Mental health and addictions challenges continue to impact many Canadians, especially as we navigate the pandemic. Premiers created this award to highlight the innovative work individuals and organizations are doing to promote wellness across the country.”
Statistics Canada has released findings showing that significantly higher numbers of people are screening positive for symptoms of anxiety and depression over the last two years — and 94 per cent of those screened reported being negatively impacted by the pandemic. A survey screening is not a medical diagnosis, but the aggravated impact of the pandemic on the mental well-being of Canadians is, nevertheless, increasingly recognized.
