Substance use

Recommendation 48: Youth need support in finding purpose, which provides youth with a reason to access substance use support. This may need to be a two-part process with employers willing to support youth to get connected to the community and support resilience in bouncing back.

Substance use

Recommendation 49: Government needs to help reduce stigma for youth. Community needs to be supportive of youth who are facing increases in substance use and understand why people may have spent CERB on substances instead of punishing people.

Employment

Recommendation 64: Provide youth with personalized support to transition back into the work-place and transition off of government benefits in a stable way. Youth will need support stabilizing mental health and substance use to be successful in future employment opportunities.

Common themes

Recommendation 78: The sector has identified increased substance use and overdoses as a result of the pandemic. The Coalition recommends low-barrier services that are implemented through a harm reduction lens, providing youth with a safe supply, and increasing the number of youth-specific treatment programs. The lack of treatment supports for youth is compounded by the risks associated with Bill 22 without the appropriate services for youth to transition into after being detained.