CALGARY – Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities hosted mayors from some of Canada’s largest cities alongside a wide range of government, civic and community leaders as part of the Urban Project for a discussion on the role of cities in tackling COVID-19 and support for mental health.
“Ensuring we support mental health for people to be well, stay safe and get help is essential to building resilient communities,” said host Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “Calgary’s Mental Health and Addiction Strategy is a model for cities across Canada and elsewhere. This community-led strategy identifies and addresses gaps to make sure our citizens can access the help they need. Expanding support networks, outreach and emergency response is fundamental to how cities respond to the mental health crisis.”
Several mayors from FCM’s Big City Mayors’ Caucus and municipal practitioners came together for a virtual roundtable to share learning on community-led mental health responses and the importance of strengthening partnerships and developing solutions on a national scale. The roundtable included local partners from different communities, national leaders in mental health advocacy and action, and provincial and federal representatives/
“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that there is a real opportunity to make lasting and significant change for Canadians seeking mental health support,” said FCM CEO Carole Saab. “Cities have taken extraordinary steps to help Canadians access necessary services, but the challenge will continue to be a critical issue following the pandemic.”
The Urban Project, led by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), is a forum to leverage expertise—within all orders of government, civil society, the private sector and academia—to explore urban challenges and scalable solutions to improve the lives of Canadians. Previous UP events explored innovative economies, rental housing affordability, transit and road safety, COVID-19 and mobility, and city building and intensification.
Led by FCM, this Urban Project event was generously supported by the J.W. McConnell Foundation, Shaw Communications, Ceridian and the Canadian Medical Association, and are pleased to work with the University of Toronto’s School of Cities and the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance.
For more information, please contact:
FCM Media Relations, (613) 907-6395, media@fcm.ca