Wednesday 6 May 2015




Dear parents,

Our community is one of 180 communities across the province which has been selected for the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study. Participating in this study, if asked to do so, is an important opportunity to help children and youth in Ontario.

The 2014 Ontario Child Health Study is the largest and most comprehensive study on child and youth mental health that has ever been done in Ontario. The study is being conducted by Statistics Canada, in partnership with McMaster University. Statistics Canada has invited over 13,500 families across 180 communities, including ours, with children and youth aged 4-17 years to participate in the study. The information gathered from will provide a more complete overview of our children and youth than ever before.


The Ontario Child Health Study was originally conducted in 1983 and found that 1 in 5 children and youth in Ontario have a mental health issue. The findings from that study contributed to over $1 billion in federal and provincial funding towards child and youth mental health initiatives. A lot has changed since 1983 – you can help update these findings. Please do your part to represent our community and say yes if invited by Statistics Canada to participate.