B.C.'s representative for children and youth says the province's already "woefully inadequate" mental health system has been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report, called Left Out, detailed gaps such as a lack of long-term income support and chronic delays to assessment, that have persisted during the pandemic.

B.C.'s childrens watchdog and researchers at Simon Fraser University say decisions must be made to ensure children "do not experience additional avoidable adversities due to either the pandemic or the public health responses."

"We realized very quickly that mental health concerns were on the rise with young people," said program director Noah Biddlecombe.

"If there's kids that are going through things, just know that they're not the first, they're not the last, and there's people they can talk to. There's resources.”

"I was very starstruck as well and it took a minute to register," Carya fund development manager Jennifer Moir.

Experts say the need for early intervention is amplified by the coronavirus crisis.

The Representative for Children and Youth has written about a bill that would allow patients under 19 to be involuntarily admitted for up to 48 hours.

The bill would allow hospital patients under the age of 19 to be admitted for stabilization care for up to 48 hours after a life-threatening overdose. 

There was a significant increase in the number of deaths reported to Saskatchewan’s child advocate last year.