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 province’s 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.”
The announcement is generating a lot of reaction.
Kier MacDonald of the non-profit Coast Mental Health said that he welcomes more compassionate care for people with complex mental health and addiction challenges, but that he is disappointed there were no measures announced to support people before they reach a crisis point.
“Treating mental health only in crisis situations is like waiting for someone to have a heart attack rather than prescribing blood pressure medication,” he told Global News.
“You know, being reactive instead of proactive — it’s not only expensive, it can cost lives. So it’s really disappointing not to see that focus on prevention today.”
Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog, who has long called for more involuntary treatment, said that it’s a good step in the right direction but that it won’t address the full extent of the problem.
He also lamented how long it has taken for the province to expand involuntary care.
Eby’s political rivals are also responding to Sunday’s announcement.
Conservative Leader John Rustad criticized the premier’s inconsistency on involuntary care after previously rejecting its expansion, writing, “This kind of flopping only demonstrates a lack of leadership and vision.”
Green party Leader Sonia Furstenau expressed concerns over what she called “the over-reliance on involuntary care,” arguing there is little evidence it reduces re-hospitalization or repeat offences.
However, Coquitlam Mayor, Richard Stewart, whose daughter has been public about her battle with mental illness, said he supports Eby’s announcement.
“The first time she was committed, the first time she was put in involuntary care, it was because she desperately needed involuntary care to save her life, to protect her, to protect others around her,” Stewart said at a press conference on Monday.
“And that is the reality that involuntary care is, in many cases the most compassionate, the most supportive of the rights of the person who has a mental health issue or a serious addiction.”
Stewart said his daughter is alive today due to this treatment.
“So I applaud those who call for and I applaud government’s moves toward making it so that everyone who wants help can get it,” he added.
— with files from The Canadian Press