About Us
Our Mission
To lead change that will revolutionize the addiction and mental health care experience for people in Ontario.
Our Vision
The best addiction and mental health system, anywhere.

Who We Are
Addictions and Mental Health Ontario (AMHO) represents nearly 200 addiction and mental health organizations across Ontario. Our members span the full continuum of addiction and mental health organizations and services, ranging from community-based service providers to peer support and consumer survivor groups, to Community Health Centres, harm reduction, and hospital-based services.

What we do

Why we do it
Our Members

We are a network of nearly 200 Members in Ontario working together to build a comprehensive and accessible system of addiction and mental health care.
Our members provide a range of community-based addiction and mental health services and supports that help Ontarians with their recovery. These include:
- supportive housing
- live-in treatment for substance use
- case management, counselling
- peer and family support
- employment programs
- withdrawal management
- community treatment
AMHO Strategic Plan 2023 – 2027
The 2023 – 2027 AMHO Strategic Plan will guide our priorities, and will position us to advocate and work effectively with government and continue to lead change that will revolutionize the addiction and mental health care experience for people in Ontario.
In this strategic plan, AMHO commits to advance its crucial mission in three key areas over the next four years:
Mobilize the sector to drive high performance.
Advocate for system transformation and equitable investment.
Serve our members and their communities.
Activity in each of these three strategic areas is mutually reinforcing. By pushing for change in all three areas, we can drive the system-level change that our members and the public needs and deserves.
Annual Reports
Change for the Better
We are pleased to release our Annual Report 2021/2022.
View previous annual reports:

Board of Directors
Nancy Chamberlain - Chair
Executive Director
Thunder Bay Counselling
Nancy Chamberlain is the Executive Director of Thunder Bay Counselling since 1991 with oversight for a budget of 4.3M and 29 unique services. Program areas include counselling and psychotherapy; addiction and mental health; victim services, child and youth services; financial counselling and employee assistance programs. Nancy has extensive experience in organizational leadership, governance, policy development and strategic planning. She has held numerous governance roles with community, provincial and national boards of directors for non-profit organizations such as Family Service Ontario and the Canadian Centre for Accreditation. She is currently past chair of Children’s Centre Thunder Bay and a board member of Thunder Bay and Area Victim Services. Nancy is co-chair of the Thunder Bay District Mental Health and Addiction Network and an active participant in community system planning initiatives. Nancy received a Victim Services Award of Distinction in 2013 and the Queen’s Jubilee Award in 2002.
Lori Spadorcia - Vice-Chair
Executive Vice-President of Public Affairs and Partnerships and Chief Strategy Officer
CAMH
Lori is the Executive Vice-President of Public Affairs and Partnerships and Chief Strategy Officer at CAMH.
A passionate advocate, Lori is changing the conversation about mental health, improving awareness and understanding of mental illness and working with governments and communities to improve health systems and policy. She supports the alignment of mission critical activities designed to be responsive to CAMH’s many stakeholders and is engaging partners and resources to better position the hospital to make a sustainable system contribution to mental health.
As a former senior political advisor, Lori has advanced public policy in areas such as early learning, child care, skills, and innovation. She is devoted to building healthy communities and driving social change.
Robin McAndrew - Treasurer & Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee
Director, Mental Health and Addictions Services
Robin has held a variety of leadership positions in community based health care over the past 23 years. In her current role as Director, Mental Health and Addictions Services, she oversees a counselling and social services team specializing in concurrent disorders and a specialty clinic focusing on addictions, mental health and primary care for at-risk youth. In previous roles, she has worked in the Community Health sector as an Associate Executive Director, a Director of Primary Care and a Director of Health Promotion.
Robin is active the regional and Provincial levels, providing input and leadership on systems alignment activities that span the mental health, addictions and primary care sectors. She currently co-Chairs the Champlain Addictions Coordinating Body and is a member of the a variety of committees and working groups including the Champlain Coordinated Access Working Group, the Primary Care Working Group of the Mental Health and Addiction Leadership Council and the Champlain Staged Screening and Assessment Working group She is frequently called upon to represent the Association of Ontario Health Centres at Provincial and system alignment consultations that impact the provision of addiction and mental health services.
Our increasingly sophisticated understanding of the interrelationship between addictions, mental health and primary care poises the sector for a time of great and positive change and AMHO is known for its energetic, thoughtful and strategic leadership. Robin is honoured to put her name forward for this opportunity to support the further
Johanne Levesque - Vice-President & Chair of the Governance Committee
Rideauwood Addiction and Family Services
Johanne Levesque is the Executive Director of Rideauwood Addiction and Family Services, a communitybased treatment centre that offers prevention, education, group and individual treatment programs along a harm reduction continuum. Rideauwood serves individuals and their loved ones affected by substance use, addiction and mental health issues in Ottawa and the surrounding region.
Johanne’s commitment to improving the health and well-being of individuals and families has served as a backdrop for her professional and volunteer activities for over thirty years. She began her professional career in nursing as an inpatient psychiatric nurse working with youth and families and has also worked in public health, community care and public administration. Her understanding of communities and approach to change leadership have been shaped by her experiences as a health care professional, a policy advisor, a manager in the federal public service and at the City of Ottawa and the co-founder of a successful of strategic management practice where she worked, for more than a decade, with organizations and progressive thinkers across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
Johanne is also an active community volunteer and advocate, who has a long history of serving on boards of directors of major organizations that include the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (where she served 4 years as Board Chair), the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health (at CHEO) and the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa.
Johanne has successfully delivered on her diverse mandates, always with the same set of values – a systems thinker, focused on building compassionate, effective health care services that puts the needs and voices of clients and families at the centre and also actively engages them in their care and recovery. She is well known for her commitment to excellence, her ability to bring together diverse groups, connect genuinely with others and her passion for making a difference.
Johanne holds a Bachelor’s in Nursing Science from Ottawa University, a Master’s of Public Administration from Queen’s University and a CHE designation from the Canadian College of Health Leaders.
Mike Beauchesne - Secretary
Executive Director
Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre
Mike Beauchesne is the Executive Director of the Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre in Ottawa. He has been with the DSYTC for nearly two decades and has worked in various clinical and leadership capacities during his tenure, including: Addiction Therapist, Clinical Coordinator and Executive VP – Clinical Services. A strong proponent of evidence-based practices and the personal and professional development of self and others, Mike enjoys working with a local, regional, provincial and national focus to help improve the lives of those who are impacted by mental health and addiction issues.
Mike possesses an Honours degree in Psychology from Carleton University, an M.Ed. (Counselling) from the University of Ottawa and an MBA from Carleton’s Sprott School of Business. Mike is also a Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC) with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.
Kristen Kerr - Director
Executive Director
Stonehenge Therapeutic Community
Kristin Kerr is a registered social worker and an experienced leader with over 15 years working within the mental health and addictions sectors with people of all ages. As the Executive Director at Stonehenge Therapeutic Community, Kristin strives to create communities where people living with substance use are welcomed, supported, and thriving. She embraces the opportunity to drive health system change forward and bring health equity to vulnerable populations across her community. Kristin believes that organizational health drives the quality of care provided to clients and she takes pride in developing strong organizational culture and staff engagement. Outside of her work life, Kristin enjoys spending time with her two daughters and their new puppy, and spending time outside in nature whenever possible.
Alyssa Gremmen - Director
Peer Integration and Systems Lead
Support House’s Centre for Innovation in Peer
Support
Alyssa is a passionate and dedicated system leader and advocate, who has used her lived experiences,
education and professional experiences to create change in the healthcare and social service sectors.
Alyssa has a degree in psychology and 15 years of experience in peer support. She has managed and
coordinated peer programs focusing on youth empowerment, mental health, and harm reduction. She has also chaired and co-chaired many local committees and working groups.
Regan Anderson - Director
Chief Executive Officer of the Wayside House of Hamilton
Regan Anderson is the Chief Executive Officer of the Wayside House of Hamilton for the past 22 years. Wayside House is a 60-bed integrated residential addiction and supportive housing program in
Hamilton. Primary focus is the treatment of addiction and concurrent disorders for men and transitional aged male youth. Regan is the program lead for the Hamilton Hepatitis C harm reduction outreach and treatment team with the AIDS and Hepatitis C Secretariat of Ontario.
Regan holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master’s degree in Applied Clinical Psychology. Regan began his clinical career in Stamford, Connecticut working in both residential and
outpatient’s settings. This included treatment of alcohol, drugs and work with methadone. Regan was director of Hamilton Men’s Withdrawal Management Centre with Hamilton Health Sciences for several years prior to joining Wayside House.
Regan is the co-chair of the Adult Mental Health and Addiction Secretariat of the Greater Hamilton Health Network (Ontario Health Team), co-chair of the Hamilton Drug Strategy Treatment Pillar and member of the Addiction and Mental Health Association advisory to the Ontario Centre of Excellence. Regan also chairs the provincial Residential Community of Practice with Addictions and Mental Health Ontario and chairs the Concurrent Disorders Advisory of Mohawk College. Regan is the recipient of the 2017 Individual Champion, Minister’s Medal, recognizing excellence in quality and safety.
Regan is a strong proponent of client choice and flexibility of care while recognizing the value of harm reduction.
Gord Garner - Director
Vice President, Strategic Partnerships of the Community Addictions Peer Support Association (CAPSA)
Mr. Garner is the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships of the Community Addictions Peer Support Association (CAPSA), and the chair of the annual Recovery Day Ottawa event since 2015. He is a national public speaker and trainer on addressing stigma and Person First Language. He is living well with his own substance use disorder at the time of this writing. He is dedicated to removing systemic stigma barriers, to enable policy writers, academics, researchers and people with needs across the spectrum of Substance Use outcomes to take evidence-based actions to improve the lives of Canadians. He supports the concept of All People All Pathways TM to increased health . This naturally leads to advocating for changes and better cohesion under the concept of Substance Use Health. All Gord’s work is informed by his 38 years of active struggles, and by the those who helped him. Gord is also informed by the thousands of people he knows personally or is connected to through his advocacy work, who have been impacted by stigma.
Penny Marrett - Director
Executive Director
Addiction Services Central Ontario
Penny Marrett, Executive Director of Addiction Services Central Ontario, has been in the not-for-profit sector for nearly 40 years. Since joining in 2014, the agency has grown by leaps and bounds and is now one of the largest community health service providers of addiction services in Ontario. In 2017, Addiction Services Central Ontario was chosen to be the lead agency for addictions for York Region, North York and South Simcoe.
Penny’s career has spanned 38 years; all of it in the not-for-profit sector. She has held a number of leadership positions in the voluntary sector and is a strong believer in the importance of the role that the not-for-profit sector can play in responding to community needs and public policy development.
Over the years, Penny has also been an active volunteer. Her volunteer experience includes the Canadian Soccer Association, the Windsor Family Health Team, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Trillium Chapter of the Canadian Society of Association Executive and the Distress Centres of the Toronto, among others.
Baldev Mutta - Director
Baldev Mutta is the founder and CEO of Punjabi Community Health Services (PCHS). He is a social activist and started his professional career working landless peasants in Punjab, India. He came to Canada in July 1968 and is socially active since his arrival. He created an agency to provide culturally and linguistic appropriate services to the South Asian community. He was able to develop an Integrated Holistic Service Delivery model to address problems from a family-centred perspective. He is an advocate for anti-racism and anti- oppression, anti-black racism, and anti-indigenous racism framework to be developed in Peel region with health and social service organizations. He resides in Brampton with his wife and 3 children and 3 grandchildren.
Papa Ladjike Diouf - Director
Papa Ladjiké Diouf is a psychotherapist and a clinical supervisor coming from Senegal (West Africa) since 2014 and now a Canadian citizen. He studied psychology and sociology (two recognized masters in Canada) with certificates of specialization in various issues which basis is trauma. He has been working for 15 years as a psychotherapist including 7 years as a clinical supervisor and trainer/teacher. He has worked in several environments (Africa and Canada) and with different clients (men, women, adolescents, couple and family) on various issues (trauma, migration, depression, anxiety, sex workers, street children, addictions and concurrent disorders, etc.). Currently, he is interested in historical trauma, immigrant clients, ACB clients in its mental health challenges. He is the Clinical Director for Le CAP and co-leader of the Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition in Ottawa. He is a clinical supervisor and part-time teacher for Saint Paul University in Ottawa. He is the co-lead of the AMHO work on Equity, Diversity and inclusion around the province. Papa Ladjiké is a member of AMHO and CAPSA board of directors.
Mark MacAulay - Director
Executive Director
Ottawa Salus
Mark is a registered psychotherapist with 20 years of experience in the mental health and social services sector. Mark is known for his ability to envision a bold future and make it a reality through sound strategy development. As an integrative thinker, Mark keeps the client at the center. He is unwavering in his dedication to improving access to mental health and addiction supports in the region and further afield.
Contact & Staff
Address
Please note, staff are currently working offsite and our office is closed due to COVID-19.
1400-180 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON M5G 1Z8
T: 416-490-8900
F: 1-866-295-6394
Hours
Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Media
Please direct all media requests to media@amho.ca.
Addictions and Mental Health Ontario (AMHO)
Toronto, ON M5G 1Z8
Quality & System Transformation
Eleni Tsoutsias
Director, Policy, Quality and System Transformation
Krishni Ganesan
Policy Manager
Hilary Leung
Senior Policy Advisor
Lori Derry
Data Coach, E-QIP