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CKMS News -2025-03-28- HART Hub roll-out to begin as government forces closure of CTS site

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CKMS News -2025-03-28- HART Hub roll-out to begin as government forces closure of CTS site.

dan kellar
Kitchener, ON – On April 1st the local Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub will begin operating, with provincial funding, with services which replace or build upon those offered by the current Consumption and Treatment Services site.  Notably absent from the HART Hub spaces will be drug testing machines and supervised consumption of drugs, including overdose reversal, which are foundational to the harm reduction model of addictions support.

In August 2024 the Ontario government announced that it would be forcing the closure of the CTS site in downtown Kitchener on March 31st 2025.

This show features an interview with Tara Groves-Taylor, the CEO of Community Healthcaring Kitchener-Waterloo, the lead operator of Kitchener’s HART Hub. A statement from the Ministry of Health about the CTS closures that was sent to CKMS News is also included.

For more background on this issue, see the CKMS News interview with Kitchener’s CTS operator Sanguen Health Centre

CKMS Community News, Newsroom, Shows

CKMS News -2025-01-09- New mental health tool accessible for youth in Ontario

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CKMS News -2025-01-09- New accessible mental health tool for youth in Ontario

dan kellar
Ontario – A recent report highlights that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated a decline in mental health in Canada. The Canadian Mental Health Association’s State of Mental Health in Canada 2024 report shows 26% of people reported “poor” or “fair” mental health in 2021, up from 8.9% in 2019. 

The report, which was released in November 2024 revealed that “2.5 million people with mental health needs in Canada reported that they weren’t getting adequate care”.

One initiative to help address mental health care is “One Stop Talk”, which “provides immediate access to mental health services, when they’re needed, wherever they’re needed.” The service, which launched in the fall of 2024, and is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health, is free to access and is available for youth up to 18 years of age. 

In Waterloo Region, Camino Wellbeing and Mental-health are One Stop Talk partners, but were unavailable for an interview. 

This show features an interview with Robert Royer, the Vice President of strategy for Strides Toronto, a mental health and development support organization and a leading partner of the One Stop Talk initiative.