On May 2-3, 2019, the Minister of Health, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, hosted the Ministerial Advisory Council on Mental Health meeting in Moncton, New Brunswick. The Council provides advice and insights on practical solutions to the mental health challenges facing Canadians today. Council members include those with lived experiences, psychiatrists, academics, and clinical psychologists.

ACCESS Open Minds’ own Ann Beaton was asked to present at this meeting. She agreed to present alongside colleague Lacey Clair, Research Officer for ACCESS Open Minds NB in Elsipogtog.  Together this dynamic duo demonstrated the work being done in the Province of New Brunswick concerning ACCESS Open Minds. 

The meeting with the Minister of Health and members of the Ministerial Advisory Council was a resounding success. Ann and Lacey were greeted warmly and lots of heads nodded as they spoke. In the end, the ACCESS Open Minds NB team was congratulated by the Minister and members of her Advisory Council. 

Here is what the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor had to say about the meeting:

“I was delighted to meet with Dr. Ann Beaton and Lacey Clair from the New Brunswick Chapter of ACCESS Open Minds on May 2, 2019 at the Ministerial Advisory Council on Mental Health. It was a pleasure to meet two individuals so dedicated to improving the mental health of young Canadians, and to learn about the organization’s success in providing evidence-based mental health care and fostering community partnerships in my home province of New Brunswick.”