Canadian post-secondary students’ mental health continues to suffer
The mental health of three in four students has deteriorated due to the pandemic, and their support is limited
Art by Mikayla Croucher
Update: KPU’s website for counselling services now states appointments are available in-person as well as virtually. This article has been updated for accuracy.
Post-secondary students in Canada are struggling with their mental health and it’s only worsened with the pandemic, according to the The New Abnormal: Student Mental Health Two Years Into COVID-19 report by the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) and Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC).
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many Canadians and their way of living. Statistics Canada lists the rise in food, gas prices, housing affordability, and the general high cost of living as effects of the pandemic.
Canadian youth between the ages of 15 and 24 showed the highest decline in feeling good about their mental health after the pandemic. In 2018, 62 per cent of youth in Canada felt good about their mental health, however now after the pandemic the number decreased to about 40 per cent.
In a pandemic that has negatively affected students’ mental health, students are also finding it difficult to access mental health services that suit their needs. Some mental health services on campus don’t meet the “diverse needs of students,” some aren’t aware of them, and 59 per cent of students preferred in-person counselling, according to the report.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s counselling services moved online for students and employees when the pandemic began, but in-person services returned this past summer.
Students are invited to seek counselling services for a variety of reasons, like for the stress of university life, family or relationship issues, grief, homesickness, or other issues that may be affecting a students’ mental health. There are drop-in sessions from Monday to Friday where students can access a counsellor through the phone or online.
A number for the counselling department is provided on KPU’s website, and students are asked to call it to receive more information on how they can speak to a counsellor.
KPU students also have access to a support program, Keepme.SAFE’s My SSP that provides counselling support to students in a language and culture of their choosing. There is 24/7 access to it and is available to both domestic and international students.
The counselling centre provides links to the Crisis Centre of BC and Here2Talk support lines as additional resources for students who are seeking help for their mental health challenges. Both support lines are available 24/7.
Through the Kwantlen Student Association, students can access support through the Peer Support Resource Centre, a student-led program where volunteers receive training in empathy, active listening, and “helping skills.”
mywellness is another platform for students to access mental health support through the extended health plan, Gallivan. They can take a free mental health assessment, access counselling, and be directed to additional resources available to them through their province and post-secondary institution.
KPU students who opt-in the extended health coverage through the KSA are able to access a mental health practitioner for mental health support. However, the plan covers up to 80 per cent of an appointment to a maximum of $500 annually, and the coverage is a combination of mental health, social workers, and speech therapists.
In an email response to The Runner, Lesli Sangha, the vice president of finance and operations and the students with disabilities representative at the KSA, said Gallivan helped them cultivate a health plan that is affordable while addressing students’ needs.
When asked about updating the health plan and increasing the $500 annual limit on the mental health coverage, Sangha said the KSA is “looking at mental health and health supports as a whole” and “the KSA is always reassessing how [they] can better support students.”
Sangha added that health fees have not been increased, but myvirtualdoctor is now available to students through their KSA health plan, which was implemented to help address the shortage of family doctors in the country.
Armaan Dhillon, the KSA’s president and VP university affairs, says mental health is one of the main focuses for the KSA. He says an increase or decrease of the mental health coverage depends on the students’ membership to the KSA.
“Any suggestion or any concern that comes up from the membership will always be counted on. If [the] membership suggests that the amount be increased, we will surely work on that,” Dhillon says.
In terms of implementing new mental health supports, Sangha said the KSA is exploring new options but also wants to “invest in ensuring [the] current services can better help students.”
Students also have access to Knowledge of Financial Education (KOFE), which provides financial support through coaching, tips on budgeting, and other teachings on finances.
The 2,000 post secondary students in the country who were surveyed in May for The New Abnormal report list financial uncertainty, high cost of living, and workload from school as factors for their mental health struggles.
The mental health of three in four students has deteriorated due to the pandemic as well, according to the report.
“It’s a very worrying statistic, especially the fact that we already know the pandemic had its impacts and it continues to negatively affect students’ mental health,” Christian Fotang, chair of the board of directors at CASA says.
In an attempt to fix the issue before it grows worse, Fotang wants the federal government to develop “robust, accessible and effective mental health services on campus and across communities.”
When running for re-election in 2021, the Liberal government promised a $500 million investment over the span of four years towards supporting post-secondary students’ mental health. This investment was to help improve overall access to mental health services on campus and decrease wait times. The government has still not fulfilled the election promise.
Fotang says the $500 million investment would “address key issues.”
“This will help address things like wait time [and] cultural competency. We know that issues surrounding the fact that students felt like the quality or the cultural aspects of the mental health counselling that they get isn’t the most supportive,” he says.
Financial distress is another factor to the strains on students’ mental health. The cost of tuition, school-related costs like textbooks, transit, rent, and groceries are what students are having to consider.
Currently there is a “doubling” of the Canada Student Grants until July 31, but CASA wants the federal government to extend the “doubling” of the Canada Student Grants past the July 31 deadline and make it permanent.
Fotang says the increased grants students are receiving makes a difference in being able to afford rent, groceries, and partake in studies.
On Nov. 3, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Chrystia Freeland announced the permanent elimination of interest on federal student loans and apprentice loans starting April 1.
“The announcement of the elimination of interest is a huge and monumental one for students across the country right now,” Fotang says.
For students graduating soon, it takes time for them to be established in their field of work, so not having interest build up on their loan payment provides relief, as students can get into the workforce and grow their careers, he says.
In British Columbia, the accumulation of interests on the provincial loans were eliminated on Feb.19, 2019. However students in B.C. are still having to deal with the financial stress of residing in a province with a high cost of living.
Melissa Chirino, chairperson for the British Columbia Federation of Students (BCFS), wants the government to provide funding to post secondary institutions. She says the cost of tuition is increasing and students are having to cover the funding cost that institutions aren’t receiving from the government.
“One thing we are really advocating for is the government funding education more to ensure that in the future we can reduce the cost of tuition,” she says.
Student loan forgiveness is another aspect of financial relief Chirino would like the federal government to consider.
“If we really want to support Canadians, we have to ensure that they’re actually able to thrive — and not having to repay your loans is a great way,” she says.
“A lot of people are having to hold back really important life events, such as buying a house, buying a car, starting a family, because they’re constantly thinking about the loans they have to pay back,” she says.
Currently, family doctors and nurses who work in rural communities can qualify for the federal loan forgiveness.
Tashia Kootenayoo, secretary-treasurer of BCFS, says the issues students face noted in the CASA report have only been exacerbated by the pandemic.
“Students’ mental health is one [issue] that has always been an ongoing conversation. Some of the things that both the provincial government and federal government can do is put more money into post-secondary education,” Kootenayoo says.
She says after students are able to access education, barriers preventing students from having proper services at school and maintaining their mental wellness need to be reduced.
When students begin their post secondary education, they believe that there will be jobs available for them when they complete their degree but they are instead dealing with “inequities,” like education costs and acquired debts, Kootenayoo says.
The budgets used to operate a post-secondary institution are provided through the tuition students pay, she says. The provincial government increasing the operational grants for post-secondary schools would help with campus services.
“The cost of education is put on students with the amount of debt that they incur. We’re also seeing that post-secondary institutions are becoming reliant on these funds, and so it’s as if students are funding their own services.”
Not every post secondary institution can provide the adequate services that address the mental health concerns of students, Kootenayoo says.
“If we’re able to put more money into operational grants given by the provincial government to these institutions, then we’re going to be able to see improved services and expansion of some services on certain campuses as well.”
While these support and services from both levels of government need to be implemented as soon as possible, Kootenayoo says they should be implemented in a way that is sustainable.
“We don’t just want to see the government put money aside for these programs. We also want to see the government have a commitment to ensuring that these are adequate supports. We want to ensure that this is a well thought out strategy.”
