Ottawa announces over $6M for Black communities’ health

Health Minister Marjorie Michel announced more than $6 million in federal funding on Oct. 20 for substance use and mental health projects serving Black communities, Health Canada said in a news release issued from Toronto.

The money comes from two streams: the Substance Use and Addictions Program and the Supporting Community Mental Health Crisis Response Initiative. Health Canada said the funding is part of Canada’s Black Justice Strategy, which it described as the country’s first.

The department said the funded projects will focus on culturally safe substance use prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery supports for Black communities. Other projects will offer peer mentorship, provider training and culturally responsive service delivery, and will support Black youth and families through early intervention, mental health services and wellness programming.

Some of the money will go to community organizations that can provide non-police-led intervention for Black people experiencing a mental health crisis, the release said. Others will work on awareness, navigation and coordination of substance use services and on stigma and systemic barriers to care.

“Through Canada’s first-ever Black Justice Strategy, we’re working directly with Black communities to empower community-led organizations and give them the support and resources they need to continue and strengthen this important work,” Michel said in the release.

Justice Minister Sean Fraser said the strategy recognizes that fair outcomes for Black communities require more than addressing barriers inside the criminal justice system. “These investments will help address root causes linked to systemic racism and support healthier, safer and more just outcomes for Black communities across Canada,” Fraser said.

The release named two recipients. Ambition Zihindula, executive director of Humanitarian Solidarity for Development & Empowerment Canada, said Health Canada’s funding is helping the group create culturally grounded spaces where Black youth and families in Winnipeg can discuss mental health and substance use. Zihindula said the work includes school-based workshops, peer support, mentorship and drop-in opportunities.

Dr. Storm K. Jeffers, project manager and research lead of the Black Canadian Mental Health Response at the University of Toronto, said the funding has been vital to developing the project. Health Canada described it as an online resource hub meant to raise awareness of existing mental health services designed for Black people and communities.

The announcement adds to earlier federal spending. Health Canada said it has committed $18 million since 2018 through the Mental Health of Black Canadians Fund, covering 61 projects across 43 Black-led organizations. The Substance Use and Addictions Program has committed more than $770 million to more than 480 projects since 2017, though not all of that is directed to Black communities.

The release did not break down how the $6 million will be divided among recipients or name every funded project. Health Canada’s press secretary, Alexandre Bergeron, was listed as the media contact.

The funding follows a September commitment by Ottawa of $135.7 million to Black Canadian groups. It also lands amid research on access to care. Earlier this year, a survey found nearly half of Black women in Canada delay health care over fears of racism, and a separate study found Black people were less likely to fill medication prescriptions because of cost.

The Black Justice Strategy has been tied to broader work on policing and the justice system, including the data on Toronto police charging Black people at 3.9 times the white rate.

Source: Health Canada news release, Oct. 20, 2026, Health Canada announces new supports to improve the health of Black Canadians.

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