Feds provide $750K in northern Ont. youth drug prevention program

$750,000 in federal funding will expand the North Bay's Planet Youth initiative. The program aims to drastically reduce drug and alcohol use among youth.

The federal government says it is investing $750,000 in a local initiative aimed at reducing substance use among young people in the Nipissing–Timiskaming region.

Nipissing–Timiskaming MP Pauline Rochefort announced the funding for the Planet Youth Nipissing initiative on Friday. The investment is provided through Health Canada’s Youth Substance Use Prevention Program and will be administered by the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit.

The funding is intended to strengthen local prevention efforts and support healthier futures for youth in the region.

“Young people in northern Ontario deserve every opportunity to thrive in safe, supportive environments,” said Rochefort in a news release.

“This investment will empower our communities to act on local knowledge, prevent substance use, and give youth the foundation they need to succeed.”

The Icelandic model

The Planet Youth program is based on the Icelandic prevention model, an internationally recognized framework developed more than two decades ago. The model is credited with a dramatic public health turnaround in Iceland, where youth substance use rates fell from nearly half of all young people to fewer than five per cent by 2023.

The approach focuses on reinforcing protective factors for youth, including strong family connections, positive peer relationships, participation in organized sports and cultural activities and active engagement in school life.

The new funding will allow the local initiative to implement interventions tailored to the community, using data collected in 2023 and through ongoing engagement with youth.

Health official reacts

At the announcement, officials emphasized the importance of community-driven solutions.

Dr. Carol Zimbalatti, the Medical Officer of Health for the North Bay Parry Sound District, expressed appreciation for the federal support.

“The shared commitment to youth well-being is what drives the Planet Youth initiative forward,” said Dr. Zimbalatti.

“The funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada is greatly appreciated by Planet Youth Nipissing, and the team is very pleased to have been chosen as a recipient.”

Broader government strategy

This funding is part of a larger federal strategy on substance use. The Youth Substance Use Prevention Program is a key element of the renewed Canadian Drugs and Substance Strategy.

Recent federal budgets have committed $500 million to a Youth Mental Health Fund and provide for $150 million over three years for an Emergency Treatment Fund to help municipalities and Indigenous communities respond to the opioid crisis and $144 million for the Substance Use and Addictions Program to advance community-based initiatives.