The Ontario government is marking Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week by investing $4.6 million to help combat bullying in schools and expand initiatives to equip students with the social and emotional skills they need to thrive. This funding will help foster stronger connections among students, promote a safe, respectful and inclusive school environment, and help reduce incidents of violence in schools across the province.
"As a mother, I understand firsthand how heartbreaking it is to hear about your child facing bullying or having a difficult day at school," said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Education. "Our investment in anti-bullying and mental health initiatives is a testament to our commitment to nurturing our students and making our schools places of respect and care. Through these efforts, we are fostering an environment where every child has the support they need to promote their mental health and reach their full potential without fear or hesitation."
To advance the government's efforts to improve student mental health and well-being, the funding is supporting the following community partners:
- $1.485 million to Big Brothers and Big Sisters to provide a school-focused mentorship program for students in Grades 1 to 12, with the goal of increasing school connectedness and improving social-emotional skills, mental health and educational outcomes
- $1 million to Roots of Empathy to offer classroom programs aimed at reducing aggression and enhancing social-emotional competence in children aged 5-13, to build skills that support student success, mental health and well-being
- $800,000 to Kids Help Phone to provide prevention counselling and offer high-quality professional resources and crisis response
- $436,500 to Egale Canada to support educators in facilitating learning opportunities to address cyberbullying, with particular emphasis on supporting students who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+
- $250,000 to Child Development Institute to improve students' emotion regulation, self-control, and problem-solving skills through the SNAP (Stop Now And Plan) program
- $245,000 to Principal Association Projects to develop resources for parents and provide professional development opportunities for principals and vice-principals on responding to cyberbullying
- $150,000 to Victim Services Toronto to increase youth safety, and in particular young women, within the context of online dating, healthy relationships, healthy masculinity and peer pressure
- $100,000 to pflag Canada to improve the mental health and relationships of 2SLGBTQIA+ students and their parents by providing culturally responsive community supports
- $78,000 to Victim Services Durham Region to host a Youth Symposium that educates students in Grades 7 to 9+ and educators on youth safety and violence prevention
- $65,000 to George Hull Centre for Children and Families to deliver culturally relevant socio-emotional learning initiatives designed to help students enhance self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making
Ontario's investments address the critical need to support students through personal and academic challenges, help them build meaningful connections and achieve success. Support to address bullying and cyberbullying will advance broader efforts to improve student safety and prevent violence in schools, fostering a safe and respectful environment.
Quick Facts
- According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), more than half of Ontario students report symptoms of depression and anxiety and a third of students (31 per cent) rate their ability to cope as fair or poor.
- In 2023, CAMH found that one-quarter (25 per cent) of Ontario students reported being bullied at school since the beginning of the school year in 2022.
- For the 2024-25 school year, the Ministry of Education is providing $127.5 million to support initiatives and programs that help build a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students. Additionally, mental health funding is being increased to nearly $121 million, an increase of 595 per cent since 2017-18.
- Ontario requires all school boards to have an anti-bullying policy in place to help foster welcoming, supportive and inclusive school communities.
- School boards must establish and provide annual professional development to educate teachers and other school staff about bullying prevention and strategies for promoting a positive school climate.
Quotes
"Bullying can have lasting effects on children that leads to emotional, behavioural, and social issues. Our government is working with partners and community organizations to help create safe environments for all children, including kids who may be more vulnerable to bullying, so they can succeed and thrive in their communities."
- Michael Parsa, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services
"For students to grow into mentally healthy and resilient adults, their school needs to be a place for safe and productive learning - not a source of fear. With these new investments, our government is setting students up for success by providing resources and invaluable mental health training that will help them throughout their lives."
- Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions
"I am pleased to accept this significant funding on behalf of the more than 10,000 children we serve in schools across the province of Ontario. More than nine out of 10 children in our mentoring programs deal with at least 4 adversities each day. This is an investment in building their resilience and giving them the hope and skills for a bright future."
- Jill Zelmanovits, President and CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada
"Roots of Empathy is grateful and honoured to receive the continued support since 2000 from the Ontario government. This bullying prevention support is so welcome as our program has been proven to reduce bullying and aggression on randomised control trials from three continents and it all started in Ontario."
- Mary Gordon, Founder and President, Roots of Empathy
"We're grateful to the Government of Ontario, and specifically the Ministry of Education, for its continued support of Kids Help Phone through anti-bullying program funding since 2005. With this funding, KHP has established and scaled programs and services to promote help-seeking behaviour and demystify mental health for students, in partnership with and in support of educators across the province. Whether they're experiencing bullying, doing the bullying, witnessing it or facing other challenges in their worlds, young people have a safe, 24/7 space to feel out loud at Kids Help Phone."
- Jenny Yuen, Group Head & EVP, People, Culture and Partnerships, Kids Help Phone
"Fostering inclusive school environments for all students, including 2SLGBTQI students, is crucial for protecting positive mental health and overall well-being. Egale Canada would like to thank the ministry for this critical investment. Together we can create inclusive schools where all students feel valued and supported."
- Helen Kennedy, Executive Director, Egale Canada
"Thanks to the Ministry of Education's generous support of our SNAP for Schools program, the Child Development Institute can help create safer, healthier classrooms for thousands of additional students across Ontario. The ministry's investment in SNAP for Schools will help reduce aggression in our classrooms while teaching students social skills and positive behaviours at an early age, with measurable long-term benefits for their learning and development."
- Andrew Reddin, Chief Executive Officer, Child Development Institute
"With the support of the Ministry of Education, the Healthy Relationships in a Digital World project aims to empower principals and vice-principals with essential tools and strategies to foster healthy digital relationships and literacy among students, promoting a safe and supportive learning environment."
- Alison Osborne, President, Ontario Principals' Council
"On behalf of Victim Services Toronto, I want to extend our deepest gratitude to Minister Dunlop and the Ministry of Education for their generous $150,000 investment. This support is a significant boost to our efforts in promoting youth safety, fostering healthy relationships, and educating young people about the realities of online dating. Together, we are equipping youth with the knowledge and tools they need to navigate these challenges safely, and we are grateful to have the Ministry of Education as a partner in this critical work."
- Carly Kalish, Executive Director, Victim Services Toronto
"On behalf of pflag Canada's national board and the many pflag Chapters across 10 provinces, we're proud to be a recipient of the Ministry of Education's funding toward addressing bullying and supporting mental health. 2SLGBTQIA+ youth are much more likely to be the target of bullying, with 77 per cent reporting to have experienced bullying in the last year. Additionally, 2SLGBTQIA+ youth are twice as likely to report poor mental health and twice as likely to have considered suicide as compared to other bullied groups. We at pflag Canada are committed to providing ongoing support to 2SLGBTQIA+ people and their families through advocacy, education and resources. This funding will support pflag Canada in our commitment to be family for all."
- Christa Duvall, Board President, pflag Canada
"Victim Services of Durham Region would like to extend our gratitude to the province of Ontario and the Ministry of Education for the ongoing support of our award-winning Provincial Youth Violence Prevention Symposium. The Symposium ensures that every youth across the province has access to critical prevention education to enhance protection from various forms of exploitation and abuse. This support will allow us to continue essential programming that helps keep our communities, and our youth safe."
- Krista MacNeil, Executive Director, Victim Services of Durham Region
"This investment from the Ministry of Education will allow us to engage 100 children in Grades 1 to 3 in Feeling Explorers, a groundbreaking and culturally relevant socio-emotional and skills-based program developed by the George Hull Centre specifically for Canadian school classrooms. Children are taught important skills in self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationships and responsible decision-making, in the context of a safe, fun and engaging program in their school classroom. Children and teachers report a strong positive impact on students' emotional awareness, relationship skills and social connections after participating in Feeling Explorers and we are thrilled to be able to continue to offer it in our schools, thanks to support from the Ministry of Education."
- Susan Chamberlain, Executive Director, George Hull Centre for Children and Families
Additional Resources
