Eby pledges involuntary care for people in B.C. with severe addictions who are mentally ill

EDITOR’S NOTE: The previous version of this story has been corrected. The article now clarifies that the facilities are aimed at people with concurrent mental health and addiction concerns. An earlier version said the facilities would be for those with severe addictions or who are mentally ill. We regret the error.

British Columbia will be opening secure facilities to provide involuntary care under the Mental Health Act for those with severe addictions who are mentally ill, the premier announced Sunday just days ahead of the start of a provincial election campaign.

David Eby pledged the NDP would change the law in the next legislative session to “provide clarity and ensure that people, including youth, can and should receive care when they are unable to seek it themselves.”

“People with addiction challenges, brain injuries and mental-health issues need compassionate care and direct and assertive intervention to help them stabilize and rebuild a meaningful life,” he said in a news release.

“This announcement is the beginning of a new phase of our response to the addiction crisis. We’re going to respond to people struggling like any family member would. We are taking action to get them the care they need to keep them safe, and in doing so, keep our communities safe, too.”

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His announcement comes after a series of stranger attacks in the province alleged to have been committed by those who are mentally ill.

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A man was arrested earlier this month in Vancouver for separate attacks that left one man dead and another with a severed hand. Police later said the suspect had a history of mental illness.

Eby said the first site to provide that care will open in Maple Ridge on the grounds of the Alouette Correctional Centre “in the coming months” with plans to expand throughout the province.

The premier’s promise comes as the official launch of the provincial election campaign is expected Saturday, in which concerns about the toxic drug crisis are expected to play a significant role, and three months after he appointed Dr. Daniel Vigo is B.C.’s first chief scientific adviser for psychiatry, toxic drugs and concurrent disorders.

The government indicated it would be releasing “clarifications” from Vigo on how he believes the Mental Health Act can be used to provide voluntary and involuntary care when people have disorders alongside addiction.

Eby said the province will also be setting up a designated mental-health unit in a B.C. correctional centre, starting with a 10-bed facility at the Surrey Pretrial Services Centre to provide rapid treatment for people with mental-health and addiction challenges who are being held in custody.