Gallery: The Royal’s Leaders for Mental Health Breakfast
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and Stephanie Carter (The Royal) at The Royal's Leaders for Mental Health Breakfast at the Cohere Centre on Oct. 7, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson-Abdulla/OBJ.
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Event Date: 10/07/2026 Organizer: The Royal Mental Health Centre
More than 700 community leaders gathered Wednesday morning at the Cohere Centre for the 19th annual Leaders for Mental Health Breakfast, presented by TechInsights in support of The Royal Mental Health Centre. The event brought the community together to raise nearly $550,000 – and counting.
Held during Mental Illness Awareness Week, the Oct. 7 event brought together business and community leaders, health care professionals, patients and families for a morning focused on mental health care, research and the need to get effective treatments to people sooner.
The need is significant. One in three people will live with a mental illness or addiction during their lifetime, while one-third of people living with mental illness or addiction will not get better with the treatments currently available.
Guests began the morning with registration, networking and The Royal’s showcase before the live program got underway. Speakers highlighted the work being done to improve access to timely, appropriate care while finding ways to move promising research into clinical practice faster.
The event also put a spotlight on a major challenge facing mental health research: Only 12 per cent of research dollars are dedicated to transitioning new discoveries into effective treatments. As a result, it can take an average of 17 years for even a small number of innovations to make their way into clinical practice.
The morning’s message was clear: people cannot afford to wait decades for advances in research to translate into better care.
The Royal is focusing its efforts on two key areas – access and outcomes – including making care more timely and responsive to the needs of individuals and families, while advancing more personalized and effective treatments.
With networking continuing over coffee and throughout The Royal showcase, the morning was ultimately about moving the conversation beyond awareness and toward better access, faster innovation and better outcomes.
Cara Vaccarino (The Royal), Chris Ide (Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health) and Melissa Kruyne (Kott) at The Royal’s Leaders for Mental Health Breakfast at the Cohere Centre on Oct. 7, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson-Abdulla/OBJ.Steve West (Westmax Group), Gabriella Campagna (Office of the Premier of Ontario) and Ottawa Coun. Riley Brockington at The Royal’s Leaders for Mental Health Breakfast at the Cohere Centre on Oct. 7, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson-Abdulla/OBJ.Roger Greenberg (Minto Group and Minto Apartment REIT), Nyranne Martin (The Royal) and Zachary Kaminsky (Institute of Mental Health Research) at The Royal’s Leaders for Mental Health Breakfast at the Cohere Centre on Oct. 7, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson-Abdulla/OBJ.Andrea MacLean (The Royal) and John Ouellette (Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation) at The Royal’s Leaders for Mental Health Breakfast at the Cohere Centre on Oct. 7, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson-Abdulla/OBJ.Chris Ide (The Royal Foundation) starts the morning by welcoming guests to The Royal’s Leaders for Mental Health Breakfast at the Cohere Centre on Oct. 7, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson-Abdulla/OBJ.Zachary Kaminsky (Institute of Mental Health Research) addresses guests at The Royal’s Leaders for Mental Health Breakfast at the Cohere Centre on Oct. 7, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson-Abdulla/OBJ.Oliver Saner (The Royal) listens to the inspirational stories being shared at The Royal’s Leaders for Mental Health Breakfast at the Cohere Centre on Oct. 7, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson-Abdulla/OBJ.Rachel Scott-Mignon receives applause after her lived experience was shared at The Royal’s Leaders for Mental Health Breakfast at the Cohere Centre on Oct. 7, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson-Abdulla/OBJ.Shawn Hamilton (Leaders of Mental Health Breakfast committee member) and Doug MacCrae (ADGA Group) at The Royal’s Leaders for Mental Health Breakfast at the Cohere Centre on Oct. 7, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson-Abdulla/OBJ.Sarah Vandenbelt (Paradigm Commercial Real Estate) and Victoria Cluney (BILD) attendThe Royal’s Leaders for Mental Health Breakfast at the Cohere Centre on Oct. 7, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson-Abdulla/OBJ.Gordon Cudney (Inflector Environmental Services LP), Chris Ide (Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health) and Lee Rose (TD) at The Royal’s Leaders for Mental Health Breakfast at the Cohere Centre on Oct. 7, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson-Abdulla/OBJ.
