Opening Minds, the largest systematic effort in Canadian history to reduce the stigma of mental illness, was officially launched on Friday 2 October by the Honourable Michael Kirby, Chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

“More than seven million Canadians will experience a mental health problem in 2009.  Many of these people will not seek help because of the stigma surrounding mental illness. In fact, people who live with mental illness tell us that the stigma is often worse than the disease itself”, says Kirby.

The Opening Minds launch took place atop the Calgary Tower as a new day dawned with the hope of a stigma-free Canada.  The flame on the tower was lit from 6:00am - 8:30am to symbolically bring mental illness out of the shadows forever. The flame raised the interest of workers commuting to the down town area and beyond.

Business leaders, people who work in mental health and people who have first-hand experience of stigma and mental illness gathered to witness Micheal Kirby officially launch the initiative and unveil the brand new Opening Minds/Changer les mentalités identity. His speech was followed by remarks from Suzan Desserud, a consumer who talked about what the initiative means to her as someone who has personally experienced the affects of stigma.