OHIP doesn’t cover it
Ontarians who want psychotherapy from a registered psychotherapist generally use workplace benefits, pay out of pocket, or wait for a public program with a narrower scope.
Petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Psychotherapy is health care. Let’s cover it under OHIP.
Too many Ontarians are told therapy could help — then can’t afford it. Add your name to ask Queen’s Park to publicly fund psychotherapy from qualified, regulated professionals.
- 1Recognize psychotherapy and evidence-based mental health services as medically necessary.
- 2Expand publicly insured coverage to psychotherapy delivered by qualified regulated professionals.
- 3Establish a Provincial Mental Health Coverage Framework for equitable access.
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Goal: 5,000
Two quick ways to make your voice count even more:
Make it official on paper
Ontario’s Legislature only accepts original, hand-written signatures. Print the petition, sign it, ask friends and family in Ontario to sign too, and mail or drop it off at Trickett Psychotherapy, 34 Harvard Road, Unit 2, Guelph, ON N1G 4V8.
Why it matters
Knowing you need therapy shouldn’t depend on whether you can pay for it
OHIP covers mental health care from physicians and hospitals, but not psychotherapy from a registered psychotherapist in private practice. That gap decides who gets help — and what kind.
Price shouldn’t pick your therapist
When cost decides, people search for the cheapest session instead of the right clinical fit. Competence, experience, approach and the therapeutic relationship should guide the choice.
Some care can’t be generic
Borderline personality disorder often calls for structured therapy such as DBT. Trauma, emotional abuse and postpartum challenges need specific, sustained care — and timing matters.
“I know I need therapy, but I can’t afford it.”— A sentence Marinela Trickett, RP, has heard for more than two decades in practice.
The numbers
The gap, in data
Hover or tap any chart for details. Every figure links back to its public source.
40%
of Ontario adults with a diagnosed mental-health disorder say their care needs are only partly met or not met at all.
CIHI, 2024 data
32%
of people with a mood or anxiety disorder who needed therapy but didn’t get it said they couldn’t afford it.
Statistics Canada, Jan. 2026
1 in 10
Canadians referred to community mental-health counselling waited more than four months (2024–25).
CIHI, 2025
22%
of Ontario mothers and birthing parents with perinatal mental-health challenges needed care and didn’t receive it.
Statistics Canada, Feb. 2026
Unmet mental-health needs, by province
Adults with a diagnosed mental-health disorder whose needs were partly met or not met, 2024.
Source: CIHI, Taking the Pulse 2025
View data as a table
| Alberta | 49% |
| British Columbia | 47% |
| Nova Scotia | 42% |
| Canada (average) | 41% |
| Ontario | 40% |
| Newfoundland & Lab. | 40% |
| Saskatchewan | 39% |
| New Brunswick | 37% |
| Manitoba | 37% |
| P.E.I. | 35% |
| Quebec | 33% |
How long people wait for counselling
Canadians referred to community mental-health counselling, 2024–25.
Seen within 30 days30 days to 4 monthsLonger than 4 months
Source: CIHI, Oct. 2025 (middle band = remainder)
View data as a table
| Seen within 30 days | 50% |
| 30 days to 4 months | 40% |
| Longer than 4 months | 10% |
Governments spend more on the consequences than on care
Annual government spending in Canada, billions of dollars.
Source: CSA Public Policy Centre, Apr. 2026. Employers carry another $110B+.
View data as a table
| Responding to consequences | $28B |
| Investing in care & prevention | $23B |
What mental illness costs Canada each year
Total annual economic cost, billions of dollars. 2011 shown in 2026 dollars; 2050 is a projection.
Source: CSA Public Policy Centre, Apr. 2026
View data as a table
| 2011 | $67B |
| 2026 | $180B |
| 2050 (projected) | $600B |
The petition
What we’re asking Queen’s Park to do
To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Petition to Publicly Fund Psychotherapy and Evidence-Based Mental Health Services in Ontario
We the undersigned petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to:
- Recognize psychotherapy and evidence-based mental health services as medically necessary;
- Expand publicly insured coverage to include psychotherapy delivered by qualified regulated professionals;
- Establish a Provincial Mental Health Coverage Framework that ensures equitable access and integrates mental health services into primary care and community health systems.
Read the full “Whereas” text
WHEREAS mental health is an essential component of overall health and well-being; and
WHEREAS the principles of the Canada Health Act are grounded in universality, accessibility, comprehensiveness, portability, and public administration; and
WHEREAS access to medically necessary mental health services remains uneven, with psychotherapy and evidence-based psychological treatments largely excluded from publicly insured health services when delivered outside hospitals or physician care.
How it works
Add your name here
It takes 20 seconds. Every name counts toward the public tally we share with MPPs and the media.
Sign the paper petition
Queen’s Park only accepts original, hand-written signatures from Ontario residents. Print it, sign it, collect a few more, and mail or drop it off.
Presented at Queen’s Park
An MPP presents the petition to the Legislature — November 2026 is the target. The government must respond within 24 sitting days.
Press release: Guelph psychotherapist preparing to ask Queen’s Park for OHIP coverage of psychotherapy
Media contact: Marinela Trickett, RP · +1 (416) 732-3277 · pr@impetuscorp.com
Questions
Good to know
Is adding my name online the same as signing the petition?
Not quite. Ontario’s Legislature only accepts original, hand-written signatures on paper — online petitions aren’t allowed. Your name here is counted as public support that we share with MPPs and the media alongside the paper petition. To make your voice official too, download the paper petition and sign it.
Who can add their name?
Anyone who supports the cause can add their name here. Signatures on the official paper petition must come from Ontario residents.
What happens to my information?
Your name, city or postal code, and (if you choose) email are stored securely on our server and used only for this campaign. We never sell your information. We may share names and cities — never emails — with Ontario MPPs as a record of support. To be removed at any time, email pr@impetuscorp.com.
Will my name be published?
The online list is not published on this website. Please note that paper petitions presented to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario become public documents, including signers’ names and addresses.
Do I need to be a client of Trickett Psychotherapy?
No. This campaign is for everyone in Ontario who believes psychotherapy should be part of publicly funded health care.
Does this mean therapy is covered now?
Not yet. Today OHIP does not pay for psychotherapy delivered by a registered psychotherapist in private practice. This petition asks the province to change that.
Who is behind this campaign?
Trickett Psychotherapy, a Guelph clinic led by Marinela Trickett, RP, Clinical Director. Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner has been brought into the conversation about access.
How can I help? Can I collect signatures?
Yes! Download the paper petition here, get people to sign it, and mail us the completed sheets before November 10th. All signatures count — even if you only collect three, please send them in.
Every name makes the case harder to ignore.
Add yours in 20 seconds, then share it with one person who has ever said “I can’t afford therapy.”
Count me in