Canada's addiction crisis: 'Mental health is truly the pandemic,' says EHN Canada CHRO

Tammy Sergie, CHRO at EHN Canada, discusses addiction crisis

Canada's addiction crisis: 'Mental health is truly the pandemic,' says EHN Canada CHRO

Between January 2016 and June 2024, Canada reported a total of 49,105 apparent opioid toxicity deaths, according to Health Infobase.

What’s more, according to CAMH, the prevalence of past-year cannabis use among Canadians aged 15 and older increased from 12% in 2015 to 21% in 2019.

“Mental health and addiction is a big space in healthcare that is, unfortunately, growing. Internally, within the business, we often say that ‘Mental health is truly the pandemic.’”

So says Tammy Sergie, CHRO at mental health treatment centres EHN Canada. Working through the implications of COVID, mental health creeped up in the country, and so did suicide rates, she says.

“The impact on youth certainly [is] quite devastating on the country. We play an important role in helping as many Canadians get back on track as we, collectively as a country, are battling with the increase of mental health conditions across the population.”

This unfolding crisis is impacting certain demographics and locales more than others. According to research from CAMH, in 2023, BC recorded 2,272 illicit drug deaths, with opioids accounting for 90% of cases – while 39% of individuals with opioid use disorder in BC also experience a co-occurring mental illness like anxiety or depression.

‘We are the most under-bedded province’

“With the legalization of drugs, and the BC and West Coast leading the methodology behind that, we’re seeing quite high numbers out west,” Sergie told HRD.

But in Ontario, where the population is highest, access to treatment remains inadequate.

We are the most under-bedded province, meaning an average Ontarian has less opportunity to actually go into treatment in a reasonable amount of time. We've just recently talked to an individual who was seeking our support financially – she’s been on a waiting list for nine years with Ontario Shores. However, when the conditions are critical, most people don't have nine years to wait.”

And this lack of access, combined with the isolation exacerbated by the post-COVID environment, creates a perfect storm – especially where the younger generations are concerned.

“When it comes to our youth and this population being very vulnerable, they end up on the streets and in very bad situations. Unfortunately, the suicide rates are going up tremendously, and we’re seeing the impact on our youth,” Sergie explains.

She believes the pandemic has fundamentally changed how people interact, with younger generations facing a particular set of challenges when it comes to work-life balance options.

“Social media and isolating in our own little world on our phones mean people are not building genuine relationships as they used to in schools. The younger generation is stuck in that hybrid, wanting-to-work-from-home type of environment, but the result is they’re not building meaningful relationships with other humans.”

‘Mild depression becoming very much a normalized condition’

Are mental health issues becoming ‘the norm’? Data from Deloitte found that 33% of Canadians report mild depressive symptoms impacting their productivity at work, with depression now a leading cause of both absenteeism and presenteeism.

“We’re seeing mild depression becoming very much a normalized condition among working professionals,” added Sergie. “Many employers are starting to realize that the EAP that’s always been our go-to is no longer enough. There is now an emerging mild-condition space that EAP services are just not covering through employee benefits, through OHIP, or through available means to an average working Canadian.”

For HR leaders such as Sergie, navigating these challenges while also safeguarding her own team’s mental wellbeing is no mean feat. Certain aspects of the employee lifecycle, in particular, are making the talent war even more intense.

AI ‘reshaping jobs’

“For decades, we’ve seen the big topic looming of retirement, the baby boomers, the labour market, and demographics. I don’t think we were as prepared for the speed of it and the impact as we thought we would be,” she told HRD. “We didn’t expect the pandemic or anticipate the return to work being as difficult as it is. The lifestyles of an average Canadian have now changed drastically. I don’t think any other HR professionals in the past have faced these difficult conditions all at once.”

Adding to this complexity is the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, which Sergie views as both an opportunity and a challenge.

“The entry of AI with the speed that it has is reshaping jobs as we know them. The world is changing so quickly, I don’t even know what next year is going to look like. The most valuable thing we can provide to each other is that knowledge, that best-practice sharing. It’s the continuation of that open dialogue around, first, the acceptance of our conditions, and secondly, that we can’t really solve it within our own businesses on our own. It truly is a communal effort.”

‘As an HR professional, you don’t directly touch the outcome’

At the same time, she finds her work at EHN Canada both challenging and inspiring.

“Helping the business grow, professionalize, and do that quite rapidly has been very intriguing, exciting, and challenging at the same time. We’re introducing best practices while trying to hold on to our soul and do it with full alignment to our mission of saving lives.

In healthcare, where you directly save lives, you feel that emotional connection to what you do. I have highly engaged individuals, but I also have no shortage of needing to communicate and re-communicate change because there’s so much of it. While we’re wanting to adopt those best practices, adopting to anything else that’s changing is a process. There’s a lot of it, and constantly.”

Reflecting on her role, Sergie shares her sense of purpose and pride in supporting those who make a direct impact.

“As an HR professional, you don’t directly touch the outcome, the product, or the service. But it’s inspiring to think that we help pretty amazing individuals. We empower pretty incredible people in their journey to save lives of others. And that’s just incredible. That’s an absolute blessing.”