Chima Akuchie

Interview Response

Chima said that he works on harm reduction strategies among those with disabilities. He believes that improving community-based, preventative mental health strategies is something that needs to be done, particularly with the number of immigrants coming in. He noted that he has been new to Canada himself. It is difficult to come into a new community as an immigrant because, for example, individuals may not speak English. It is important for them to be able to access help from someone when they are in need (e.g., someone who speaks the same language). He believes that communities can help people gain access to mental health support.

Survey Response

I will focus on expanding preventative mental health services that are community-based and practical. My priorities would be: Accessibility: Ensure programs are easy to access and delivered close to where people live, especially in underserved communities. Cultural fit: Work with faith groups, cultural associations, and local leaders so supports reflect the community and not just a one-size-fits-all model. Accountability: Fund only evidence-based initiatives that show measurable outcomes for residents. Partnerships: Involve community representatives and frontline workers in leadership teams so real experiences guide strategy, not just theory. Mental health is tied to safety, productivity, and family well-being. Supporting early, community-based solutions prevents bigger problems and reduces costs down the road.

Erin Averbukh

Interview Response

Erin believes preventative mental health interventions should start with the youth. She thinks that there is a rise in mental health concerns among young people, which needs to be addressed. Her strategy to address this would be to support community centres and enable them to run programs that support mental health. She sees an absence of community centres with programs like open gym times where young people can get together and have fun (e.g., play games, practice sports for fun, have dances). In previous generations, unstructured hangouts in community spaces were more common. She wants to help the City support and encourage communities to create open community spaces and run programs that foster a sense of community and support mental health. For instance, she would like to see community spaces with an open door policy–a place where people could go to socialize. She believes that greater human connection can help alleviate some of the discomfort and mental health concerns that people are experiencing. She thinks the City could do more to support their community centres and there are funding opportunities available for this. She would like to see input from various cultural groups on this as well. ”You can’t put a square peg in a round hole,” she added: what works for some people won't always work for others.

Devin Elkin

Interview Response

Devin said that part of being a good leader is knowing what you are good at and what you are not good at. He is not a subject matter expert in the area of mental health. He wants to have conversations with those who are experts in the area. He wants to initiate these conversations with municipal, provincial, and federal ministers and to ensure that the “right people” [people who can enact change] are in the room for these conversations.

Landon Johnston

Interview Response

Landon seemed uncertain that there was a need for culturally specific, community-based preventative mental health services. He said that the City spent 4 years determining that indigenous individuals should be involved in business when they could have just brought them in and saved the time and money. He questioned why individuals from various cultural community groups cannot be involved right now (e.g., are they not applying?) and why, for instance, a white person could not run a preventative health care program if they had the appropriate training. He is a fan of the melting pot, not the mosaic. He said that he does not see skin colour and that politicians shouldn’t see skin colour. In line with this belief, he does not understand why we should want to have different programs for different cultures. He reiterated that no one should be treated unfairly–people should be treated equally. If someone comes to him saying they are being treated unfairly, he will be the loudest voice for them.

Sunjiv Raval

Survey Response

Yes

First to get all the communities to allocate a representative who is professional or willing to get train for this task and also open up for public who may have this qualifications and knows the language or experience in the nativity.

Ryan Stutt

Interview Response

Ryan felt that this was an important issue. He stressed that he would not assume he knew what strategy would best address our city’s outstanding mental health concerns. He stated that he planned to work with communities and make sure that there is appropriate representation (e.g., representation from various cultural groups). He wants to listen to the people who are “on the ground doing the work” and put their suggestions into action. He wanted to make it clear that he doesn’t assume to know what is needed.