Mayor Jan Liggett champions new OBCM campaign to fix Ontario’s mental health, homelessness and addictions crisis
Ontario's Big City Mayors caucus votes to launch "Solve the Crisis – Reaction to Recovery," building on Mayor Liggett's push for province-wide recovery-based care ahead of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario Conference this week.
Ontario's Big City Mayors (OBCM) announced today formal support of the "Solve the Crisis – Reaction to Recovery" campaign, a renewed push urging the Province of Ontario to overhaul how it funds and delivers addictions, mental health, and homelessness services. The motion, seconded by Mayor Jan Liggett, calls on the province to declare a state of emergency on the crisis, significantly scale up investment in recovery-based treatment, and establish a stand-alone Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.
Mayor Liggett has been one of the caucus's most vocal advocates for the campaign, drawing a direct line between what she has heard from Cambridge residents, frontline workers, and service providers and the province-wide data OBCM compiled to build the case for action, including that an estimated 84,973 people experienced homelessness in Ontario in 2025, a 7.8% increase over 2024, and that more than 36,000 Ontarians currently sit on mental health and addictions supportive housing waitlists.
Cambridge has been raising these same concerns directly with the province. The City's upcoming delegation at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference, running August 17-19 in Ottawa, Ontario, will press many of the same points: acknowledging the progress made through Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs and the Homelessness Prevention Program, while pushing the province to close persistent gaps in access, funding, and system coordination particularly immediate access to detox and recovery services, as well as expanded transitional care.
Through the campaign, Ontario's Big City Mayors are calling on the Province of Ontario to:
- Declare a state of emergency on the addictions, mental health, and homelessness crisis to unlock provincial and federal supports.
- Significantly increase investment in voluntary recovery-based treatment and supportive housing, including expansion of the HART Hub program and removal of barriers to access.
- Undertake a comprehensive review of the Mental Health Act and the Health Care Consent Act, in consultation with municipalities, first responders and people with lived experience, to build a compassionate care and intervention model with appropriate safeguards.
- Expand addiction treatment and rehabilitation programming within provincial and federal correctional institutions, with proper discharge planning.
- Establish a stand-alone Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, with its own ministry, budget and decision-making authority.
Following today’s announcement, Mayor Liggett and City staff will build on the City's leadership as champions of this issue, pressing provincial decision-makers to move from reaction to recovery and deliver the coordinated action communities across Ontario need.
Quotes
“I have heard too many stories from Cambridge residents about loved ones falling through the cracks of a system that is not built for the scale of what we're facing. Standing with OBCM today is about making sure no other family in our city has to go through that alone. This is about families being kept whole; families that feel that their loved ones have the care they deserve.” - Mayor Jan Liggett, City of Cambridge
