What it
Takes to Keep
Going

BY REBECCA SHIELDS
Kids Help Phone
SEPTEMBER 7, 2026

There were moments when the project felt like it was slipping away.

Building sites lost. Timelines pushed back. Funding pressures mounting. Criticism building. And more than once, I found myself picking up the pieces and starting again.

This is the story of leading the project to create the York Region Mental Health Community Care Centre (The Centre), a vision for CMHA York and South Simcoe that began in June 2015 and continues to this day. A vision to create a 24/7, community-based service where someone’s first mental health crisis could be their last.

There was no roadmap and at times, no clear path forward.

 

Building Something That Doesn’t Exist Yet

The Centre is truly an innovation.

More than 20 care providers are involved, including hospitals, mental health and addiction agencies, police, paramedics, municipalities, housing providers, and, most importantly, people with lived experience and their families.

Bringing all of that together is complex.

Not just in design but in trust, alignment, and execution.

And while this work sits within the public healthcare system, the leadership journey is not unique.

It is about navigating uncertainty, holding onto a vision, and continuing to move forward when progress is anything but linear.

 

 

What You Bring Into the Work

I am, by nature, an optimist. I’ve been described as the Energizer Bunny since childhood. Someone grounded in energy, passion, and a belief that things will work out. I care deeply about people, about community service, and about doing meaningful work with good people.

That belief has always guided me. But belief alone is not enough. Leadership is a team sport.

Having served as an Executive Director and CEO for more than 25 years, I know that leadership is never an individual effort.

It’s about the team you build and how you trust them.

I surround myself with strong people. I encourage them to speak up, to
challenge ideas, and to offer better answers. My answer is only my answer until there is a better one.

That approach was tested early in the Centre project.

We lost four sites. We fell years behind. We put our limited charitable reserves at risk. We were criticized for not moving fast enough, despite the complexity and unexpected hurdles.

The stress was real, and so was the fear of failure. No one was immune to it. And I was reminded, very clearly, that this was not mine to carry alone.

My VP of Clinical Operations at the time said to me: “Rebecca, if we get this and we cut the ribbon, you will have not done this alone, and if we don’t, likewise it won’t be your failure to own.”

That stayed with me. Because it reframed what leadership actually looks like.

 

 

Holding the Line

There are moments in leadership where you have to listen. And moments where you have to stand firm.

I receive advice from many smart people, often good, sometimes great. But ultimately, I am accountable for the decisions.

There are elements of this project that I would not compromise.

How we approach equity.
How we build partnerships.
How we engage the community.

We must prioritize those facing the greatest barriers. I have never believed in focusing on the “low-hanging fruit” in healthcare. Those individuals often already have access. If we can work harder to build resources for the hardest to serve, the ladder to the top of the tree will ensure everyone gets better care.

This is not the easy path.

It is complex. It is resource-intensive. And it is often challenged.

But it is necessary.

 

 

What Resilience Really Looks Like

People often talk about leadership resilience as if it’s a trait. In my experience, it’s a practice.

It’s continuing when things stall.
It’s starting again when things fall apart.
It’s staying grounded in purpose, even when progress is slow.

It requires passion and purpose. It requires a team you trust to support you in advancing the work. It requires accepting setbacks and trying again. And believing that it will all work out as it’s meant to be.

And sometimes, it requires something simpler.

A recognition that even in the hardest work, there is something remarkable, and even joyful, about what you are building together.
And now, since moving on from CMHA York and South Simcoe to become the President and CEO of Kids Help Phone, I take these lessons with me. I also know the incredible team at CMHA has the vision, drive, capacity, and resilience to navigate the further challenges and opportunities that are ahead as they build and open the Centre.