Navigating mental health support can be challenging during emergency situations, such as Canada's ongoing wildfires. This comprehensive guide aims to simplify that journey by providing a curated list of evidence-informed and free mental health and well-being resources available across Canada to all communities.
Whether you or your family members are in need of immediate assistance through crisis support, seeking ongoing wellness supports, requiring tools to help navigate further resources, or looking for counselling services, this resource list is designed to help you find the right support to maintain and enhance your mental well-being before, during, and after an emergency.
Although the majority of these resources are tailored to meet the needs of the broader community in Canada (adults, youth, children, and families), a smaller subset of these resources are tailored to specific occupational groups — including public safety personnel (PSP), health care providers (HCP), military members and Veterans — as well as to equity-deserving groups like Indigenous populations, BIPOC communities, and LGBTQ2SIA+ individuals.
Please select the resource that is best tailored to your own needs.
Mental health support line, 24/7
| Contact | 310-6789 |
| Information | Mental health support line, 24/7. |
| Service area | British Columbia |
| Resource type | Telephone |
| Support type | Wellness support |
| Target demographic | General population |
| Serves children (0–12) | Yes |
| Serves youth (13–17) | Yes |
| Serves adults (18+) | Yes |
| Serves families | — |
| Language spoken | English 🍁 |
Crisis hotline for people in Interior British Columbia
| Contact | 1 (888) 353-2273 |
| Information | Crisis hotline for people in Interior BC. |
| Service area | British Columbia |
| Resource type | Telephone |
| Support type | Crisis support |
| Target demographic | General population |
| Serves children (0–12) | — |
| Serves youth (13–17) | — |
| Serves adults (18+) | Yes |
| Serves families | — |
| Language spoken | English 🍁 |
Provides a list of mental health resources and education/information about mental health
| Contact | bc.cmha.ca |
| Information | CMHA British Columbia provides a list of mental health resources and education/information about mental health. |
| Service area | British Columbia |
| Resource type | Resource hub |
| Support type | Wellness support |
| Target demographic | General population |
| Serves children (0–12) | Yes |
| Serves youth (13–17) | Yes |
| Serves adults (18+) | Yes |
| Serves families | Yes |
| Language spoken | English 🍁 |
A peer-based phone, text, and web chat service providing free and confidential support to health and social support workers in BC
| Contact | careforcaregivers.ca/caretospeak |
| Information | A peer-based phone, text, and web chat service providing free and confidential support to health and social support workers in B.C. |
| Service area | British Columbia |
| Resource type | Online service |
| Support type | Peer support |
| Target demographic | Health care providers |
| Serves children (0–12) | — |
| Serves youth (13–17) | — |
| Serves adults (18+) | Yes |
| Serves families | — |
| Language spoken | English 🍁 |
Online and in-person peer support groups for mental health recovery
| Contact | peersupportcsc.com |
| Information | Online and in-person peer support groups for mental health recovery. |
| Service area | British Columbia |
| Resource types | Online service, in-person service |
| Support type | Peer support |
| Target demographic | General population |
| Serves children (0–12) | — |
| Serves youth (13–17) | — |
| Serves adults (18+) | Yes |
| Serves families | — |
| Language spoken | English 🍁 |
Virtual counselling and peer support for young people aged 12–24 and their caregivers
| Contact | foundrybc.ca/get-support |
| Information | Virtual counselling and peer support for young people aged 12–24 and their caregivers. |
| Service area | British Columbia |
| Resource types | Online service, in-person service |
| Support type | Wellness support |
| Target demographic | General population |
| Serves children (0–12) | Yes |
| Serves youth (13–17) | Yes |
| Serves adults (18+) | Yes |
| Serves families | Yes |
| Language spoken | English 🍁 |
Provides mental health and substance use information and connections to resources in British Columbia
| Contact | heretohelp.bc.ca |
| Information | Provides mental health and substance use information and connections to resources in BC. |
| Service area | British Columbia |
| Resource type | Resource hub |
| Support type | Wellness support |
| Target demographic | General population |
| Serves children (0–12) | Yes |
| Serves youth (13–17) | Yes |
| Serves adults (18+) | Yes |
| Serves families | Yes |
| Language spoken | English 🍁 |
Free, 24-hour phone support for Métis people experiencing challenges like anxiety, grief and loss, abuse, and bullying
| Contact | 1 (833) 638-4722 |
| Information | Free, 24-hour phone support for Métis people experiencing challenges like anxiety, grief and loss, abuse, and bullying. |
| Service area | British Columbia |
| Resource type | Telephone |
| Support type | Crisis support |
| Target demographic | Indigenous population |
| Serves children (0–12) | — |
| Serves youth (13–17) | — |
| Serves adults (18+) | Yes |
| Serves families | — |
| Language spoken | English 🍁 |
Peer-led support groups for people with mental health concerns
| Contact | mdabc.net/resources/mdabc-support-groups |
| Information | Peer-led support groups for people with mental health concerns. |
| Service area | British Columbia |
| Resource types | Online service, in-person service |
| Support type | Peer support |
| Target demographic | General population |
| Serves children (0–12) | — |
| Serves youth (13–17) | — |
| Serves adults (18+) | Yes |
| Serves families | — |
| Language spoken | English 🍁 |
OSI-CAN is a free, confidential, community-based peer support initiative for Veterans, first responders, and public safety personnel
| Contact | osicanbc.ca |
| Information | OSI-CAN is a free, confidential, community-based peer support initiative for Veterans, first responders, and public safety personnel. |
| Service area | British Columbia |
| Resource types | Online service, in-person service |
| Support type | Peer support |
| Target demographics | Military members and Veterans, military families, public safety personnel, public safety personnel families |
| Serves children (0–12) | — |
| Serves youth (13–17) | — |
| Serves adults (18+) | Yes |
| Serves families | Yes |
| Language spoken | English 🍁 |
Provides a list of helplines and their hours in different languages for confidential emotional support and referrals to community resources
| Contact | successbc.ca/counselling-crisis-support/services/help-lines |
| Information | Provides a list of helplines and their hours in different languages for confidential emotional support and referrals to community resources. |
| Service area | British Columbia |
| Resource type | Telephone |
| Support type | Wellness support |
| Target demographic | Non-English speakers |
| Serves children (0–12) | — |
| Serves youth (13–17) | — |
| Serves adults (18+) | Yes |
| Serves families | — |
| Languages spoken | Spanish 🇪🇸, Mandarin 🇨🇳, Cantonese 🇭🇰, Korean 🇰🇷, Farsi-Darsi 🇮🇷, Ukrainian 🇺🇦 |