Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is promising universal mental health coverage if her party wins the June election, with an annual price tag of $1.15 billion.
In a campaign event yesterday, Horwath said the COVID-19 pandemic exposed how broken Ontario's mental health system is, and people who need help shouldn't have to worry about the cost.
While some forms of mental health treatment are covered by the province -- such as treatment by a psychiatrist or by a psychologist or social worker within a hospital -- services such as private psychotherapy or counselling are not.
The NDP says its plan would save billions of dollars because community care would lessen the need for critical care, and not as much productivity would be lost in the workforce.