The frigid January wind whipped across the concrete expanse of Scarborough’s Kennedy Station as I waited for Roy Ratnavel. When he arrived, his warm smile contrasted with the gray winter morning. We found a quiet corner in a nearby café, steam from our coffee cups creating a momentary barrier between us as he began sharing his journey from Sri Lankan refugee to Canadian philanthropist.
“Mental health services saved my life,” Ratnavel told me, his voice steady but weighted with memory. “When I arrived in Canada at 17, I had nothing. I’d lost my parents in Sri Lanka’s civil war. The trauma followed me here.”
Last week, Ratnavel and his wife Sue Nathan announced their $1 million donation to Scarborough Health Network’s mental health programs—a gift that health providers say couldn’t come at a more crucial time for this diverse Toronto suburb.
“We’re seeing unprecedented demand,” explains Dr. Yvonne Linton, Clinical Director of Mental Health Services at Scarborough Health. “Our emergency departments recorded a 35% increase in mental health-related visits since 2019. The pandemic intensified existing challenges in communities already facing systemic barriers to care.”
Scarborough, home to over 650,000 residents, represents one of Canada’s most diverse communities, with over 60% of residents born outside Canada. This diversity creates unique challenges for mental health providers.
“Cultural understanding isn’t optional in mental health care—it’s essential,” says Linton. “Different communities have varying relationships with concepts like therapy, medication, or even discussing emotional distress. Our programs need to reflect those realities.”
The donation will fund three key initiatives: expanded multilingual counseling services, a youth mental health hub designed with community input, and enhanced training for healthcare providers on culturally responsive care.
As we finish our coffee, Ratnavel takes me to the site of the future youth mental health center—currently an unremarkable building near Scarborough Town Centre. Inside, he walks through the empty space, pointing out where meditation rooms, drop-in counseling areas, and family meeting spaces will transform the facility.
“When I first needed help, I didn’t know how to ask for it,” he says. “Mental health struggles came with shame in my community. I want young people here to have what I didn’t—care that speaks their language, understands their cultural context, and meets them where they are.”
This donation represents more than just funded programs. It challenges persistent stigma around mental health care in many immigrant communities. According to Statistics Canada, first-generation Canadians access mental health services at significantly lower rates than Canadian-born residents, despite experiencing similar or higher rates of mental health challenges.
Mental Health Commission of Canada research shows that factors including language barriers, cultural stigma, and lack of representation among healthcare providers contribute to this gap. For many newcomers, the stress of migration, potential trauma from their countries of origin, and challenges of cultural adaptation create layered mental health needs.
“One of the most powerful things about this gift is the visibility,” says Aruna Mahalingam, a Scarborough-based community organizer who works with Tamil youth. “When respected members of our community openly support mental health care, it sends a powerful message that seeking help is not just acceptable—it’s admirable.”
The impacts of improved mental health services extend beyond individual wellbeing. A 2020 study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health demonstrated that every dollar invested in mental health interventions returns nearly four dollars in reduced healthcare costs and improved productivity.
For Scarborough’s growing communities, these services represent critical infrastructure. Mental Health Commission of Canada notes that untreated mental health challenges cost the Canadian economy approximately $51 billion annually in lost productivity and healthcare expenditures.
As the afternoon light dims, Ratnavel and I walk through the multicultural neighborhood surrounding the future mental health center. He stops to chat with shopkeepers and residents in Tamil, his native language.
“When I first came to Canada, I felt invisible,” he says. “The health system seemed built for someone else. Now I see these young families, these students, these seniors—all deserving care that recognizes their full humanity.”
The Scarborough Health Network plans to launch the expanded services by early 2024, with community consultations beginning next month to ensure programs meet local needs.
As we part ways at Kennedy Station, Ratnavel seems energized despite our hours of conversation. “This isn’t charity,” he insists. “It’s an investment in the community that gave me a second chance. Every person deserves that same opportunity to heal.”
Walking back through the station, I notice the diverse faces of Scarborough’s residents rushing to catch trains and buses—students, healthcare workers, families. Ratnavel’s gift will touch countless lives here, but perhaps its greatest impact will be in changing the conversation around mental health in communities where silence has too often been the prescribed treatment.
