August 29, 2025 | Ottawa, Ontario | Public Health Agency of Canada
Today, the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, announced over $2.9 million in funding through the Youth Substance Use Prevention Program (YSUPP). The program helps communities across Canada create tailored approaches to substance use prevention based on their specific needs.
This announcement is in addition to an initial funding of $3.1 million in June 2024 to
support the Canadian implementation and adaptation of the Icelandic Prevention Model (IPM). The IPM is an internationally recognized, collaborative approach to preventing youth substance use, built around 10 key steps focused on strengthening communities and promoting healthy environments.This second round of funding will support four projects in Alberta and Ontario. Each project will receive up to $750,000 over three years, helping communities that have already begun implementing the IPM to identify, test, and evaluate substance use prevention interventions for youth.
Quotes
"Funding from the Youth Substance Use Prevention Program enables communities to take action to prevent substance use and support young people in ways that meet their unique needs. Through these tailored, community-based approaches, young people will receive the support, safety and opportunities they deserve."
The Honourable Marjorie Michel
Minister of Health
“Together we are making a difference in the lives of young people like me. I am confident that we can continue to create positive change in our communities.”
“Adoption of the IPM has already provided new insight into the lives of Lanark County youth. YSUPP funding strengthens our ability, as a community, to engage youth and families in developing, implementing and evaluating action plans that prevent substance-related harms among Lanark County youth.”
"This funding will allow us to implement our action plans and capitalize on the community engagement and support we've garnered over the last year. It's an exciting time for youth in Timiskaming and our communities. The benefits will extend beyond the intended audience to improve health and well-being for residents of all ages."
Johanna Paradis
Community Services Coordinator, Town of Englehart
Co-chair, Planet Youth Timiskaming Steering Committee
“Planet Youth will help improve the lives of countless young people for decades to come – and shape the future of the City and neighbouring areas for the better.”
“Planet Youth emphasizes the importance of building a strong coalition to lead primary prevention work. This funding will help Planet Youth Nipissing to increase awareness and engagement around addressing risk and protective factors for youth wellbeing, and to develop effective local strategies for building supportive environments.”
Dr. Carol Zimbalatti
Medical Officer of Health, North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit
Quick facts
The Youth Substance Use Prevention Program (YSUPP) is a key element of the renewed Canadian Drugs and Substance Strategy (CDSS), supported by a $ 20.2 million investment over five years. This funding is part of the more than $359 million committed through Budget 2023, which also includes $144 million for the Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP) to advance community-based initiatives and other evidence-based health interventions.
As part of the Government of Canada’s ongoing comprehensive approach to mental health and substance use, Budget 2024 further committed $500 million to the Youth Mental Health Fund to improve the mental health of youth and their families.
In addition, Budget 2024 provided $150 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, to Health Canada for an Emergency Treatment Fund, available to municipalities and Indigenous communities to help provide rapid responses to emergent, critical needs related to the opioid crisis.
Backgrounder
August 2025
In response to the illegal toxic drug overdose crisis, the Public Health Agency of Canada is investing over $2.9 million in community-based projects in Ontario and Alberta, through a second stream of funding under the Public Health Agency of Canada's Youth Substance Use Prevention Program (YSUPP).
Funding is provided under YSUPP to implement and adapt the Icelandic Prevention Model (IPM) in various communities in Canada. This model, which is recognized internationally for its collaborative approach to preventing substance use harms among youth, is based on the fundamental principle that prevention efforts should be focused on building strong and healthy communities. Using a collaborative approach, it focuses on strengthening factors that promote overall health and well-being. These factors include healthy relationships, safe environments, and school and community connectedness.
Planet Youth Nipissing
North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit – North Bay & West Nipissing, Ontario
$750,000 over 3 years to support the implementation of the IPM and provide insights into youth health and well-being across pilot communities in the Nipissing District. The project will integrate input from diverse community partners and meaningfully engage youth, emphasizing cultural safety, health equity, and inclusive research practices. Key protective factors of focus will include strong family and peer relationships, extracurricular involvement, and school engagement. Some of the key activities that will be implemented by Planet Youth Nipissing include data dissemination, community engagement, and ongoing evaluation to measure project impact and generate knowledge about promising interventions.
Creating an Upstream Prevention Culture in Lanark County
Open Doors Mental Health for Children, Youth & Families – Lanark County, Ontario
$750,000 over 3 years to support Planet Youth Lanark County's continued implementation of the IPM. The objectives of the project include strengthening youth and family engagement, establishing a robust collaborative governance model, and developing and evaluating interventions that enhance youth safety and well-being protective factors while diminishing sleep related risk factors. Throughout the project, Open Doors Mental Health for Children, Youth and Families, will partner with leaders in diverse, youth-serving sectors to enhance the quality of life of communities through the prevention of substance-related harms among youth.
Growing up in Timiskaming – Planet Youth Implementation and Evaluation
Northeastern Health Unit (Formerly Timiskaming Health Unit) – Timiskaming District, Ontario
$743,859 over 3 years to support Planet Youth Timiskaming to identify, implement, and evaluate upstream interventions. Interventions will be identified through local data collected in November 2023 and through ongoing engagement with youth and three Local Action Teams, made up of community members and leaders. Funding will also support Planet Youth Timiskaming to partner with a Brock University-based researcher to conduct intervention research in order to contribute new knowledge in the field of youth substance use prevention, with a focus on learning from promising interventions and identifying key adaptations in the northern-rural context.
Planet Youth: Enhancing the Well-Being and Resilience of Calgary
United Way Calgary & Area – Calgary, Alberta
$750,000 over 3 years to support administration of the IPM school survey to Grade 10 students in eight high schools in communities across Calgary, and for Planet Youth Calgary to work with researchers from the University of Calgary, Matheson Centre, to develop, implement and evaluate data-driven interventions in the project communities. Funding will also support Planet Youth Calgary to work with Indigenous Scholars and other Indigenous stakeholders to adapt the IPM for urban Indigenous youth in Calgary. The project team will determine appropriate data collection methodologies for Indigenous youth, and develop solutions guided by Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing.
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