Stephen Lecce, minister of education, and Michael Tibollo, associate minister of mental health, are scheduled to make the announcement in Burlington at 10:30 a.m. The ministries have not provided details on what the announcement will include.
The province put $4.75 million toward expanding a virtual walk-in counselling program earlier this year for children and youth to access mental health services. A survey released in February found about 91 per cent of school principals reported needing some or a lot of support for students’ mental health and well-being.
The report, conducted by the non-profit People for Education , also suggested that there is a lack of resources to respond to the mental health crisis in the classroom. A union representing high school teachers have previously called on the government to hire mental health support staff to address violence in and around schools.Ontario Minister of Education Stephen Lecce gives remarks at a press conference in Toronto. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov