An anonymous donor has made a staggering $100-million gift to Toronto’s Center for Addiction and Mental Health.

"I'm happy to say that CAMH will now have the opportunity to animate our hope in a way that we've only secretly imagined,” CAMH president Dr. Catherine Zahn said.

The donation was given to support research into mental illnesses, which affect some 6.7 million Canadians and are the leading cause of disability on earth.

"I believe CAMH is well-positioned to make a transformational impact in the field of mental health research," the donor, who insisted on anonymity, said in a media release. "I have seen the devastating impact of mental illness on individuals and their families; I want to provide support to the next generation of researchers and scientists to pursue the research that will directly transform care."

The donation will support the recruitment and retention of top scientists and encourage them to take chances with their research. It's by far the largest ever given to a mental health center in Canada and one of only a handful of that magnitude bestowed on any health organization in the country.

Read the full article about the anonymous $100 million donation to CAHM by Joseph Hall at thestar.com.