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About the Canadian Grief Alliance
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In the news
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Media releases
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Support the CGA
Our story: The Canadian Grief Alliance
The Canadian Grief Alliance (CGA) is a coalition of more than 170 leading health and grief-related and -adjacent organizations, as well as professionals, and members of the public from across Canada. The CGA was convened by the Canadian Virtual Hospice (CVH) in the early weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic to advocate for a proactive, national approach to support grieving Canadians in anticipation of the surge of complex grief from Covid-related and affected deaths. Since May 2020, the CGA has engaged the public, stakeholders, policy and decision makers and the media to #MakeGriefAPriority. This leadership in policy and awareness raising has generated more than 300 media stories and invitations to present to four Parliamentary Committees. CGA’s advocacy led to inclusion of grief education in the federal Budget 2021; increased profile for grief in the media and with the public; and investment by Health Canada in CGA’s Advancing Grief Literacy in Canada: First Steps Action Plan initiative, a series of national knowledge products to support grief literacy.
Our success is the result of the contributions of many people.
We would like to thank all those who shared their grief stories or their expertise with us, providing invaluable content for the website. Find the full list of people who have shared their stories or professional guidance through video interviews at the Video Gallery.
Who we are
Writer, journalist, academic
Executive Director, Canadian Virtual Hospice
Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Director Centre for Education and Research on Aging and Health, Lakehead University
Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, York University
Director of Bereavement Services, Victoria Hospice
Writer, journalist, academic
Nova Scotia Health Authority, Provincial Manager of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Cancer Care Program
Calgary
Professor, School of Social Work, Renison University College, University of Waterloo
Chair, International Centre for Dignity and Palliative Care
Registered Doctoral Psychologist Past Chair – International Work Group on Death, Dying & Bereavement; Clinical Instructor – Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan; Adjunct Faculty – Psychotherapy & Spirituality Graduate Counselling Program, University of Alberta
Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba
Executive Director, Canadian Virtual Hospice
Certified Child Life Specialist; Adjunct Lecturer, Child Life and Pediatric Psychosocial Care, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University
Directeur, Réseau québécois de recherche en soins palliatifs et de fin de vie FRQS; Psychiatre spécialisé en psycho-oncologie; Directeur et Professeur titulaire, Département de psychiatrie et de neurosciences; Directeur, équipe de recherche Michel-Sarrazin en oncologie psychosociale et en soins palliatifs; Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec – Université Laval, axe Oncologie, Centre de recherche sur le cancer, Université Laval
Associate Professor, Dept of Interdisciplinary Programs, Thanatology, King’s University College at Western University
Communications Coordinator, Children and Youth Grief Network; Family Coordinator, Gilda’s Club of Greater Toronto
All Nations Hope Network
Associate Professor/Thanatology Coordinator, King’s University College at Western University
Spiritual Care Advisor, Canadian Virtual Hospice
CEO, Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network
Assistant Professor School of Social Work; Associate Director Centre for Education and Research on Aging and Health, Lakehead University
Provincial Palliative Care Medical Consultant, Health PEI
Nova Scotia
Directeur général, Maison Michel-Sarrazin
Associate Professor, Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University; Program Head, Pediatric Palliative Care Research, Montreal Children’s Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre; Associate Member, Institute for Health Sciences Education, McGill University
Faculty of Medicine, McGill University; Portland Institute for Loss and Life Transition
Founder and Executive Director, Camp Kerry
Executive Director, Near North Palliative Care Network
Canadian Virtual Hospice Psychosocial Specialist
Centre for Education and Research on Aging & Health, Lakehead University
Managing Director, the Seasons Centre for Grieving Children
Hospice/Palliative Care Social Worker Psychosocial Consultant, Canadian Virtual Hospice
Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing Director, Compassion Research Lab, Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary
Canadian Virtual Hospice Psychosocial Specialist
Executive Director, The Lighthouse for Grieving Children
Director Psychosocial Services, Victoria Hospice
Professeure adjointe, Département de psychoéducation, Faculté d’éducation, Université de Sherbrooke
British Columbia
Provincial palliative care social worker, PEI Health; Project lead for the provincial palliative care drug program
Registered Psychotherapist
Lived grief experience
Lived grief experience
Grief specialist or stakeholder
Grief specialist or stakeholder
Lived grief experience
Lived grief experience
Grief specialist or stakeholder
Grief specialist or stakeholder
Grief specialist or stakeholder
Grief specialist or stakeholder
Grief specialist or stakeholder
Grief specialist or stakeholder
Grief specialist or stakeholder
Grief specialist or stakeholder
Grief specialist or stakeholder
Grief specialist or stakeholder
Grief specialist or stakeholder
Lived grief experience
Lived grief experience
Lived grief experience
Lived grief experience
Grief specialist or stakeholder
Grief specialist or stakeholder
Grief specialist or stakeholder
Grief specialist or stakeholder
Canadian Medical Association
Canadian Nurses Association
Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians
Canadian Association of Social Workers
Canadian Association for Spiritual Care
Canadian Psychiatric Association
The Enchanté Network
Young Adult Cancer Canada
Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology
Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada
Canadian Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Network
All Nations Hope Network
Dying With Dignity Canada
Canadian Association for Marriage & Family Therapy
End of Life Doula Association of Canada
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada
Canadian Alliance for Grieving Children and Youth
Canada Bereavement Registry
Canadian Integrative Network for Death Education and Alternatives
Schizophrenia Society of Canada
Melanoma Network of Canada
Canadian Health Advocates Inc.
Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology
Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association
Canadian Palliative Care Nursing Association
Interchurch Health Ministries
Love your life to Death
Widowed Friends
Alberta
Alberta Hospice Palliative Care Association
Covenant Health Palliative Institute
Caregivers Alberta
Hospice Calgary
Red Deer Hospice
Hospice Society of Camrose and District
Children’s Grief Centre
Healthy Directions
Transitions Music Therapy
Oliver's Funeral Home
Solace Grief Support Society
British Columbia
BC Hospice Palliative Care Association
BC Centre for Palliative Care
Family Caregivers of BC
Island Health
Vancouver Island Health Authority
BC Bereavement Helpline
Camp Kerry
Kilala Lelum (Urban Indigenous Health & Healing Cooperative)
Abbotsford Hospice Society
Vancouver Hospice Society
Delta Hospice Society
Hospice Society of the Columbia Valley
Prince Rupert and District Hospice Society
Victoria Hospice Society
Peace Arch Hospice Society
Burnaby Hospice Society
Crossroads Hospice Society
100 Mile District Hospice Palliative Care Society
Sea to Sky Hospice Society
Desert Valley Hospice Society
West End Seniors' Network
Moving Forward Family Services
Life and Death Matters
Honour End of Life Care
Pacific Well-Being
Cowichan Family Caregivers Support Society
Vancouver Island Federation of Hospices
Mission Hospice Society
Heron Hospice Society of Delta
Price Rupert and District Hospice Society
Manitoba
Palliative Manitoba
Rainbow Resource Centre
Two-Spirited People of Manitoba Inc.
Cancer Care Navigation Services - Northern Regional Health Authority
Rock Lake Palliative Care
Peguis Home & Community Care
Robert Smith School
Centre on Aging: University of Manitoba
New Brunswick
NB COPES Child and Family Grief Center
Compassionate Grief Centre of Southern NB
Compassionate Grief Centre
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador Palliative Care Association
Nova Scotia
NS Hospice Palliative Care Association
Doctors Nova Scotia
Caregivers Nova Scotia
Hospice Halifax
Colchester East Hants Hospice Society
Good Grief Halifax
NS Health
Ontario
Hospice Palliative Care Ontario
Global Institute of Psychosocial and Palliative and End-of-life Care, University of Toronto
Ontario Association of Social Workers
RNAO Palliative Care Nurses Interest Group
Centre for Education and Research on Aging & Health at Lakehead University
de Souza Institute
Hope House Community Hospice
Dundas County Hospice
Hospice Outreach Programs of Elgin
Hospice Muskoka
McNally House Hospice
Madawaska Valley Hospice Palliative Care
Hazel Burns Hospice
Hospice Wellington
Dr Bob Kemp Hospice and Bereavement Services
Heart House Hospice
St. Joseph's Hospice Sarnia Lambton
St Joseph's Hospice London
Hospice Northwest
Roger Neilson House
Evergreen Hospice
Hospice Peterborough
Matthews House Hospice
Doane House Hospice
Kensington Health
Near North Palliative Care Network
Bereavement Ontario Network
Bereaved Families of Ontario - South Central Region
Bereaved Families of Ontario – Ottawa
Bereaved Families of Ontario – Kingston
Bereaved Families of Ontario - Midwestern Region
Healing Broken Hearts
Good Grief! Bereavement Healing Services
Gilda's Club of Greater Toronto
The Hummingbird Centre for Hope
Grief Recovery Ontario
Dr. Jay Children's Grief Centre
Children and Youth Grief Network
The Lighthouse Program for Grieving Children
Seasons Centre for Grieving Children
Jewish Family and Child Service of Greater Toronto
Victorian Order of Nurses - Oxford
Unity Health Toronto
Selah Resources
Hulse, Playfair & McGarry
Champlain Hospice Palliative Care Program
Bereaved Families of Ontario - Ottawa Region
Information Oakville/Oakville Public Library
Roger Neilson House for Palliative Care
Nanny Angel Network
Bereaved Families of Ontario - Provincial
Bereaved Families of Ontario - Toronto
Bethell Hospice
The Dorothy Ley Hospice
Ontario Funeral Service Association
Death Doula Ontario Network
Prince Edward Island
Hospice PEI
Quebec
Association québécoise de soins palliatifs
McGill Council on Palliative Care
Maison Michel Sarrazin
Réseau Québécois de recherche en soins palliatifs et de fin de vie
Regroupement des Infirmiers-Infirmières Ressources en don d’organes et de tissus du Québec
Palli-aide accompagnement en soins palliatifs Saguenay inc.
Parents Orphelins, l'Association des parents qui vivent un deuil périnatal
Albatros Montréal
Groupe des Aidants du Sud-Ouest
West Island Cancer Wellness Center
Hope & Cope
ORA Loss & Living Program, Ste. Genevieve United Church
Unitarian Church of Montreal
ADATH Congregation
Connexions Resource Centre
Myra's Kids Foundation
Saskatchewan
Prairie Hospice Society
Morning Star Lodge, University of Saskatchewan
Augustana Lutheran Church
The Good Foundation Inc.
Territories
Hospice Yukon
Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority
plus 18 private enterprises.
Of the almost 4000 members of the public who participated in our national grief survey, more than 500 joined the GBGFG. Through online surveys, they have provided invaluable feedback, shaping the outcome of our products.
In the news
Through media campaigns the CGA has raised awareness with the media and the public about grief: the impacts of the pandemic on grief; the need for investment to improve access to specialized grief services; and the misconception that investments in mental health flow through to grief services and programs.
The CGA has achieved hundreds of media stories referencing the CGA with a combined reach of over 70 million.
- Guilt, anger, loss of sleep: Canadians say they need more help processing grief, Global News, (May 27, 2024)
- Canadians want to talk about their grief, survey finds, Halifax Examiner, (May 21, 2024)
- CBC Radio Syndicated: Grief survey, CBC Listen, (May 24, 2024)
- Our Montreal: CGA grief webinars (21 minute mark), CBC, (May 11, 2024)
- Canadian Grief Alliance offers free webinars for people experiencing loss, CBC Listen, (May 11, 2024)
- Where grief fits into Canada’s healthcare system, The Decibel Podcast, (Jan. 3, 2024)
- Groundbreaking funding for grief literacy, launch of national consultation, and more in this issue, CGA Newsletter, (Nov. 16, 2023)
- New health care program aims to tackle a commonly ignored side effect of disease: grief, The Globe and Mail, (Nov. 28, 2023)
- Nova Scotians urged to participate in national survey to help better understand grief, Halifax Examiner, (Nov. 29, 2023)
- Canada will soon have a "National Grief Strategy", CBC Vancouver Radio – Stephen Quinn Early Edition, (Nov. 20, 2023)
- Canadian Grief Alliance to combat pandemic effects with $1M in government funding, Global News, (Nov. 29, 2023)
- Funding to improve support for grieving Canadians, CTV News, (Nov. 29, 2023)
- The pandemic has changed the grieving process, CTV News
- Canadian Grief Alliance calling for immediate federal injection needed for grief services, Global News, (Apr. 13, 2021)
- Advocate calls for funding for grieving Canadians, CTV News
- Group asks for more funding for grief counselling: "Canadians have been robbed of goodbyes", Halifax Examiner, (Apr. 16, 2023)
- Ontario's pandemic of grief, TV Ontario, (Mar. 17, 2021)
- Expert reflects on loss and grief during the pandemic, CBC
- Andrea Warnick joins Matt Gurney, CanadaTalks, (Jan. 11, 2021)
- Pandemic restrictions create barriers for grieving families, expects say, Global News, (Dec. 18, 2020)
- There is no vaccine for grief, iPolitics, (Dec. 22, 2020) - Also published in: Edmonton Journal, Vancouver Sun, Regina Leader Post, Hill Times
- National grief strategy needed to help Canadians cope with loss due to COVID-19, group says, CBC News Toronto, (Nov. 23, 2020)
- Don't put COVID-19 grief 'on the back burner,' says therapist calling for national strategy on mourning, Interview with Matt Galloway, CBC Radio: The Current, (Nov. 25, 2020)
- Few outlets for grief as COVID-19 death toll supasses 10,000 in Canada, Interview with Avis Favaro. CTV News, (Oct. 27, 2020)
- Interview with Shelly Cory, CTV News, (Oct. 27, 2020)
- The pandemic has disrupted death and mourning in ways we don’t yet understand, Maclean’s, (Jul. 15, 2020)
- A pandemic of grief, Hospital News, (Jul. 23, 2020)
- Grief supports advocates take their case to Ottawa, Winnipeg Free Press, (Jun. 3, 2020)
- Canadian Grief Alliance seeking help from Ottawa, CityNews, (May 12, 2020)
- 'Complicated' grief during pandemic has group calling for federal funding, CTV News, (May 15, 2020) - Also published in: The National Post, Winnipeg Free Press, Toronto Star and Global News
- 'Pandemic of grief': Advocates call for national strategy for dealing with grief amid COVID-19 pandemic, CTV News Atlantic, (May 15, 2020)
- COVID-19 is depriving people of the opportunity to grieve, Policy Options, (May 18, 2020)
- Interview with Paul Adams, CTV News Montreal, (May 21, 2020)
- National strategy needed to address grieving process 'distorted' by pandemic, coalition says, Interview with Marianne Klowack, CBC News, (May 24, 2020)
Media releases
Grief is a growing public health issue – yet Canada lags significantly behind other countries that have implemented a proactive, national, coordinated response to grief. A new report released today by the Canadian Grief Alliance (CGA) reveals the inadequate state of grief literacy and support services nationwide, and charts a bold new course for national action. Read the full media release.
Grief is more than an individual experience — it’s a national one. Grief and loss have untold economic and societal impacts, negatively impacting people's mental and physical health, families, and communities. Read the full media release.
Results from the largest grief survey ever conducted in Canada show that the very thing that many people want most when they are grieving - to be asked about their loss - is not how society is likely to respond. This is one of the key findings from a national survey released today. Read the full media release.
Today the Government of Canada announced $1million funding to the Canadian Grief Alliance (CGA) to better support Canadians who are living with grief. The Canadian Grief Alliance partners with the Canadian Virtual Hospice and the Canadian Alliance for Children’s Grief on this work. This funding will enable development of foundational resources and learning opportunities to help Canadians understand and respond to grief. The CGA will deliver an action plan with recommendations to government in 2025. Read the full media release.
The Canadian Grief Alliance (CGA) is calling on federal political parties to put expanding grief support at the top of their party platforms for Election 2021 and implement a national grief strategy that supports the 4 million Canadians grieving deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic and provides a baseline of accessible grief services for all Canadians. Read the full media release.
As a third and potentially more deadly, wave of Covid-19 sweeps Canada, the Canadian Grief Alliance (CGA) is calling on the federal government, as an emergency measure, to include $30 million in its upcoming budget to support local grief services across Canada. Read the full media release.
Support the CGA
How you can help
Don’t underestimate your power to effect change.
Sign up
Sign up here to show the government that helping grieving Canadians is a priority and that you support a National Grief Strategy. If you are signing up as an individual your name won't be shared. A list of organizations that sign up will be shared with the government and will be made public. We'll also use your email address to send you updates from the Canadian Grief Alliance.
Write your elected representatives
Call and write to your elected representatives at the provincial/territorial and federal levels. Tell them that supporting people at the most difficult time of their lives, needs to be a priority. Remind them that mental health investments do not include grief-related supports and services and that the health and economic fallout of pandemic-related grief will be significant without action taken now.
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Encourage your friends and families to #MakeGriefAPriority.
We are stronger together and we will be successful together.