After initially accepting a donation from a local group that raised the money in support of the anti-mandate occupation protest underway in Ottawa, the Canadian Mental Health Association of Sudbury Manitoulin (CMHA) has announced they will be refunding the donation and no longer accepting funds from the group.
After denying Sudbury.com an interview request in regards to the donation, CMHA instead issued a news release this morning to explain why they initially accepted the money and why they ultimately decided to return it.
The mental health association said a “local partisan group that conflicts with agency mission, vision and values” appeared in person to make the donation.
A CMHA representative appeared in a photo of the cheque presentation that was posted to the Sudbury Freedom Convoy Facebook page on Monday. The donation of $462 was made by a man calling himself “Eric Freedom” on behalf of a group that calls itself Sudbury Freedom Convoy. The money was raised during an anti-mandate protest in Bell Park, the post stated.
“At the time, CMHA-S/M accepted the donation and was pictured with one of the representatives from the group,” reads the Feb. 17 release. “CMHA-S/M quickly realized that to have accepted the money was a mistake and as a result, and is now reviewing its donation process to strengthen decision-making around future donations.”
The release notes that “many community members – not to mention thousands of Ontarians in places like Ottawa, Windsor and Toronto – have been negatively impacted by the actions of this particular donor group, their views and their wider cause.”
CEO Patty MacDonald is also quoted in the release. She apologized for accepting the money.
“CMHA-Sudbury/Manitoulin is an agency committed to the health and wellness of our community by promoting public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” MacDonald said. “ We strive to advance equity, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our work and advocacy for the individuals we serve.
“To those who’ve been negatively impacted, we’re sorry for any harm we may have caused by accepting the donation,” said MacDonald. “We want our staff, individuals we serve and partners to know that we stand with them. And while we sincerely appreciate financial or in-kind support from the community, we cannot accept donations from groups or people that are drastically misaligned with our beliefs and values.”
CMHA-S/M has contacted the group to request that no future donations are collected on behalf of the agency. Any existing fundraising initiatives promoted through any crowd funding platform are not authorized or endorsed by CMHA-S/M.
