BC Mayors Demand Federal and Provincial Focus on Mental Health Crisis
Photo Credit: Mike Lloyd/City News
A coalition of British Columbia’s Mayors and other public figures got together to call attention to the increasingly problematic dual crises of mental health and public safety in the Metro Vancouver area. Attention was drawn to this issue after a violent incident on Sept. 4, when man was attacked and killed on the streets of Vancouver by a 34-year-old White Rock resident with a history of mental health issues and over 60 documented contacts with police.
On Sept. 16, the group, including Vancouver’s mayor Ken Sim, sent a letter to Premier David Eby and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressing these issues and proposing multiple reforms to combat them. The requests included:
Provincial Mandatory Care and Federal Support
A request for financial support from the federal government to support the expansion of mandatory treatment for citizens struggling with severe mental health disorders or drug addiction.
Meaningful Bail Reform for Repeat Offenders
Reformation of bail conditions to ensure that repeat offenders are not released back into society in dangerous states of mind.
A Federal Plan to Secure Ports
A request for stricter policing of Vancouver’s ports, which are currently hotspots for transport of illicit drugs and other illegal products in and out of the city.
The letter was signed by ten mayors including Sim, three First Nations leaders, and Vancouver Police Department Police Chief Adam Palmer. Sim stated that the letter demands “immediate action to be taken on public safety and mental health crises gripping Vancouver and other communities.” Outlining a direct correlation between public safety issues and inadequate drug and mental health care, he expressed support for the Government’s plan to expand the current Involuntary Care Program.
In the past few years, BC has seen an average of 20,000 admissions under the Mental Health Act per year, the highest rate in all of Canada. The Involuntary Care Program serves to provide treatment for those apprehended under the Mental Health Act, which ensures individuals who qualify – after evaluation from a doctor – to be involuntarily treated for a mental health disorder.
The concept was explained by a Campbell River resident named Liane, on a broadcasted phone call by BC Today. She was under involuntary care as a recovering fentanyl user and said, “It’s not ideal, but it has been for my own safety.” She explained that although there is an argument that detainment in psychiatric facilities infringes on people’s freedom and is traumatic, “being physically and mentally addicted to opiates is not autonomy and it is not freedom, and it is unbearably traumatizing in and of itself.”
Prior to the Mayor’s requests, on Sept. 15, Premier Eby announced a plan to improve the Involuntary Care Program’s effectiveness by opening two secure facilities to treat those who have been institutionalised under the Mental Health Act, as well as dedicate 400+ new hospital beds to mental health patients.
Despite Sim’s support of this expansion, the response from the public has not been wholly positive. Simon Fraser University (SFU) Professor Kora DeBeck questioned the involuntary care approach. “Forced treatment doesn’t have the promise we hope that it does,” she told CTV News. “And it sets us up for so much risk.”
Additionally, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) expressed concerns for the effectiveness of involuntary treatment. The British Columbian division of the association highlighted the gaps in the treatment approach which may result in a negative outcome due to the lack of evidence to suggest otherwise. They note the importance of tackling the root causes of mental health and drug addiction disorders, and the danger of continuing with the current system.
Social worker and researcher at SFU Faculty of Health Sciences Tyson Singh Kelsall criticised the timing of this pitch, saying that “it works as an election strategy,” and observed how it distracts from other political issues such as the housing crisis. “He’s weaponizing the crisis,” Kelsall told 1130 NewsRadio. “It’s disappointing, it’s scary, and I fear for the people who will be impacted.”