Child Development Institute urges the federal government to invest in upstream mental health support and crime prevention as part of nation-building agenda.
Toronto, ON, August 28, 2025 — The Child Development Institute (CDI) has officially submitted its 2026 pre-budget recommendations to the Government of Canada, advocating for strategic investments in evidence-based, upstream mental health and crime prevention supports to reduce future burdens on public spending.
Recent data from Justice Canada show youth crime in Canada rose by 13% in 2023 following a 19% increase in 2022. In Ontario, reported classroom violence has surged 77% since 2018, according to Ministry of Education data.
With youth crime rates and violence on the rise, CDI’s submission calls on the federal government to recognize child and youth mental health as a foundational pillar of public safety, economic resilience and community well-being.
“The federal government has a choice: invest now in prevention, or pay much more later in downstream costs,” said Andrew Reddin, CEO of CDI. “By investing in children’s mental health support today, Canada can reduce future crime and build stronger, safer communities for everyone.”
To strengthen the federal government’s National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS), CDI is recommending two actions:
- Maintain the government’s investments in the NCPS and invest an additional $50 million over the next four years to support increased program intakes and deliver measurable improvements in mental health, crime prevention and community safety in high-risk communities by 2029.
- Establish dedicated funding under the NCPS to scale proven, evidence-based, community-driven programs that have already demonstrated success with federal support, such as Stop Now And Plan (SNAP), one of CDI’s flagship programs.
SNAP is a made-in-Canada, internationally recognized program that helps children build emotional regulation, reduce aggression and divert from future justice system involvement. In fact, research shows that 68% of SNAP participants will not have any criminal justice contact by age 20.
“We know upstream, evidence-based prevention works because we’ve seen the results,” said Reddin. “With renewed and expanded federal funding, we can scale SNAP and other proven models to meet urgent demand in communities across Canada.”
Every $1 invested in SNAP yields $17 to $32 in long-term savings through avoided costs in justice, health and social systems.
CDI stresses that this moment calls for bold federal leadership to ensure that investments in children’s mental health support and youth crime prevention are embedded in Canada’s nation-building agenda.
You can read CDI’s full pre-budget submission here.