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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/child-youth-advocate-mental-health-1.5927944
Child and youth advocate cautiously optimistic about mental health plan
Plan would see provincial treatment centre for youth open by 2024
CBC News· Posted: Feb 25, 2021 4:37 PM AT
Child and youth advocate Norm Bosse said he was happy to see the plan released, but hopes the treatment centre can open sooner. (Ed Hunter/CBC)
New Brunswick's child and youth advocate says he's cautiously optimistic after the province announced it's five-year plan to tackle mental health and addictions in the province.
Earlier this week, the province announced a provincial treatment centre for youth would be open by 2024.
Such a centre has been a priority for successive governments, both Liberal and Progressive Conservative, and a centre was planned for Campbellton.
Concerns about the location and staffing led the Blaine Higgs government to move the centre to Moncton.
Child and youth advocate Norm Bosse said he was happy to see the plan released but hopes the treatment centre can open sooner.
"The Addiction and Mental Health Action Plan released by Minister Shepherd this week is a welcome sight, that's for sure," said Bosse.
"I know she said 2024, but let's hope that it's built before then."
Going beyond centre of excellence
The new centre in Moncton has been trumpeted as a centre of excellence for youth mental health and addictions services.
But Bosse said treating youth mental health and addiction issues can't stop at the centre of excellence. A network of excellence is needed, he said
This would allow young people to be treated for more moderate issues in their communities, with more serious cases being reserved for the Moncton centre.
He cited Saint John's Access Open Minds as an example and said treating youth in their own communities is key to getting them better, faster.
The province has finally announced a timeline for the completion of a youth treatment centre in Moncton. Norm Bosse is New Brunswick's child and youth advocate. 11:59
"Youth can go there, they can talk to a counsellor, if they need assistance, they can certainly get it," said Bosse.
"It's what we call treating the situation at the right place at the right time and not waiting for months and months to get in to see either psychologists or psychiatrists. Those are what make a difference sometimes so that the situations of mental health don't escalate to the point where they need tertiary care"
Bosse said the data is too fresh to draw any permanent conclusions, but anecdotally, he said, youth have had a hard time during the pandemic.
"What we're hearing and receiving from calls for assistance in our office is that children are suffering, there's depression and there's also risk of suicide," said Bosse.
"I've not heard of one case of youth dying by suicide during this pandemic, but the the elements are all there to create those situations."
With files from Information Morning Moncton
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/3-new-watchdogs-appointed-1.1372919
3 new watchdogs appointed
Premier names child and youth advocate, official languages commissioner and ombudsman
The Alward government has announced the appointment of three new people to watchdog positions in the province, based on a new selection process.
The new child and youth advocate is Saint John lawyer Norm Bossé, who represented victims in the Kingsclear reformatory sex abuse case.
Katherine d'Entremont, a career civil servant, will be the new commissioner of official languages.
And the new ombudsman is Charles Murray, a civil servant and former political assistant to one-time Tory MP Elsie Wayne and to former PC cabinet minister Brad Green.
"I am confident that their experience and education will help them to carry out their respective duties effectively," said Premier David Alward.
He said Murray's appointment is not political.
"The individuals went through a very significant assessment and interviewing process."
Selection process overhauled
In March, the government overhauled the selection process for the arm's-length watchdog positions that offer a six-figure, deputy minister-level salary, for a seven-year term.
Previously, the government picked people for the positions that report to the legislative assembly, in consultation with the opposition. The legislature would then approve the choice.
But now, a committee of bureaucrats, lawyers and academics review applications from people who are interested in the positions and presents qualified individuals to the premier.
He then consults with the leader of the opposition and recommendations are made through the legislative assembly.
The committee in this case included a provincial court judge, a member of the university community, the clerk of the legislature and the clerk of the executive council.
"We are pleased as a government that we created a new process to be more fair and transparent," said Alward.
Liberal Opposition Leader Brian Gallant was consulted on the three choices and signed off on all of them, including Murray.
"Charles Murray has a very impressive resume," said Gallant. "There was a good group of people that looked through a lot of the candidacies and he came through as the consensus choice."