New funding for mental health and substance use care announced this morning by the B.C. health minister will help many front-line organizations carry out their work to improve the lives of vulnerable groups in the province.

But it likely won't fix the disconnected and poorly-funded mental health services for youth in crisis, according to B.C.'s watchdog for children and youth.

A report by Representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond released earlier this week critiqued the fact that less than half of B.C. teens in crisis get the mental health care they need. Long wait times, inconsistencies in services and poor transition into adult mental health care were just a few of the cited problems.

She said the province needs to be accountable and explain to the public what the wait lists and wait times are, and when young people will be served and transitioned.

"The announcement today, it's welcome. But it doesn't answer any of those questions."

This morning, Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid committed $18.4 million, with most of the funding -- $15 million -- earmarked for front-line mental health organizations around the province as grants distributed through the Community Action Initiative.

Both the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research and the University of Victoria's Centre for Addictions Research of BC will receive $1 million. The remaining $1.4 million goes to a Canadian Mental Health Association program that provides an over-the-phone early intervention coaching service for children and their families.

The new money is tied to a 10-year plan created a couple of years ago by the provincial government to improve mental health and substance use care in British Columbia.

"We're trying on an ongoing basis to make [the plan] better," said MacDiarmid.

Turpel-Lafond said the province has largely dismissed her report, and that it has indicated that whoever takes office after the election will be tasked with fixing the gaps.

MacDiarmid said today's announcement was not a response to the watchdog report. "This work that [Minister Cadieux and I] have been doing to find funding for some of these important initiatives has been many months in the making."

In the last month the health minister has made several funding announcements, including $48 million towards cancer research, $5 million for research and health promotion for men and $1.9 million for viral hepatitis prevention.

Though the writ drops Tuesday, she said the announcements have less to do with the upcoming election and more to do with the end of fiscal year. 

"In many cases, ministries toward the end of the fiscal year have a bit of room in their budget and are able to provide additional funding, so that's why you're hearing about it now. But planning has been underway in some cases for months, and in some cases for more than a year."

Meghan Mast is completing a practicum at The Tyee.