The Ontario Big City Mayors (OBCM) are back, calling for more action to end the province-wide mental health, addiction and homelessness crisis. On its list of latest demands to tackle the issue, is the establishment of a minister of mental health and addictions with its own ministry. “Our responsibility is clear: ensure help is available for those ready to accept it and restore safety in our public spaces,” said Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall in a statement. According to Homeless Hub, the unhoused population across Ontario went up, increasing from 81,515 to 84,973 between 2024 and 2025. The OBCM credits the 29 municipalities within the organization for “stepping up to address the crisis” by way of working with community partners and it credits the province for opening HART Hubs. “Municipalities have reached the limit of what we can do,” the OBCM said. “We will always be part of the solution, but the property tax base cannot continue to carry the growing costs of healthcare, housing and social supports,” the organization adds. On its list of most recent demands to the province, the OBCM is asking for funding to increase timely access to recovery and treatment programs by investing more into HART Hubs and other similar voluntary recovery programming. “That means expanding access to housing, mental health treatment and rehabilitation while recognizing that parks, sidewalks and public spaces must remain safe and accessible for everyone,” Nuttal said. The organization is also asking for the dedicated mental health and addictions minister and ministry with “decision making authority and the appropriate funding.” Currently, Vijay Thanigasalam serves as Ontario’s Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, which falls under the ministry of health, led by Minister Sylvia Jones. The organization is also asking for a review of the Mental Health Act and the Health Care Consent Act, hoping to make changes and establish a “compassionate care and intervention model.” “Compassion and accountability must go hand in hand,” Nuttall added. The review of the act also aims to examine the safeguards in place to protect the rights, dignity and well-being of individuals living with several mental illness and/or substance use disorders, who have the capacity to provide informed consent to treatment, as well as those who do not. The OBCM is also calling upon the upper levels of government to expand addiction treatment and programming within provincial and federal correctional institutions as well. Lastly, the organization says it wants the government to declare a state of emergency on homelessness, mental health and addictions to highlight the growing crisis and to unlock appropriate supports at both provincial and federal levels. This is a developing story, it will be updated as CTV News speaks to various sources.
