Peter Coleridge, CMHA National CEO, addressed the conference delegates, first by thanking all involved. Kathryn Gretsinger for her excellent hosting, CMHA BC Division's planning committee, and Great West Life's ongoing support of the conference.
He also recognized two volunteers in particular, saying how important volunteer leadership is in order to take mental heath in the workplace to a national level. These volunteers were Judy Moore, BC Division Board Chair, and Lloyd Craig, Chair of the Bottom Line Conference Planning Committee Chair.
Focusing on the "How"
Peter Coleridge challenged delegates to ask, "How do you support implementation in the workplace?" In Canada, psychologically healthy workplace standards will be released in November, and he said that our work together would be about how to implement those standards. This is the "what." But the "how" is implementation. "The 'how' is the real challenge moving forward," said Coleridge.
He emphasized that we needed to implement healthy practices within the context of our organizations, being attentive to our size (small, medium or large organizations), and resources available.
Taking Bottom Line National
Bev Gutray, BC Division CEO, has offered to take a leadership role in making the Bottom Line Conference national in scope, and will be exploring technological resources and geographic reach in order to do so.
Within Our Own Culture
Coleridge spoke about how "culture" has far-reaching impact on our workplaces. He also asked delegates to walk the talk within their own organizations.
Let's Not Forget Substance Use
Finally, Coleridge asked us not to forget that mental health and substance use and addictive behaviours are connected. He mentioned how important it was for us to continue to develop partnerships with organizations with substance use and addictions expertise in our journey to making our organizations more mentally healthy places.
In closing, he said, "I look forward to seeing you next year at the Bottom Line Conference."
