Message from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addictions
Dear colleague,
As a valued partner, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) is pleased to share our five-year strategic plan. The plan lays out our vision of a healthier Canadian society where evidence transforms approaches to substance use. At CCSA, our research is always firmly rooted in science and sound methodology. As you will see in this plan, our work is also driven by compassion.
To develop this plan, we did what we always do. We listened. We consulted more than 240 stakeholders across Canada to find out what you need from CCSA now and in the next five years.
We listened and we learned. Now we need to act.
Your input and knowledge and that of your colleagues has been invaluable in developing Focused on the Future: Strategic Plan 2021–2026.
A key part of our plan was to establish two North Star outcomes as overarching beacons to guide CCSA for the next five years. They address improved wellness for those experiencing the harms of substance use through:
- An accessible, inclusive continuum of quality services and supports; and
- Evidence-informed responses that reduce substance use harms.
Focused on the Future: Strategic Plan 2021–2026is our commitment to mobilize what we learn in order to foster understanding and create awareness of substance use issues.
As much as CCSA is a credible voice and an established leader in the field of substance use and addiction, as a national organization it has an equal responsibility to recognize and encourage the innovative work being done throughout Canada.
We are reaffirming CCSA’s role in creating and shining the spotlight on the best and emerging practices and research in the field, connecting and convening people and organizations around a common cause. We will strive to be a trusted source for current resources, trends and research, including the work of others in the field. Part of our strategic plan is to make our evidence-informed publications and tools more accessible, timely and relevant to what is happening on the ground.
As a neutral and non-partisan organization, we will continue to actively solicit your input, guidance and counsel for our work. Clearly, there is far more demand than any of us can meet alone. Yet together, strategically aligned with intent and clarity, we can build off each other’s respective strengths and deliver transformative change.
We encourage you to share our strategic plan with your officials so we can work together for the benefit of those we serve.
Thank you.
