Two mental health crises on the same day — one closed down Kelowna, B.C.’s W.R. Bennet Bridge and the other injured three RCMP officers.
Following the Jan. 27 incidents, B.C. Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko is making calls to change how the provincial government approaches mental health.
“It’s clear that the services that are available in the province currently are insufficient,” said Sturko.
Sturko, a former RCMP officer who spent 13 years with the force, says that RCMP should not be handling mental health crises.
“The reality is that police are responding to something way down the stream, we need to look at the previous year, or even years leading up to a serious crisis or a big public safety incident and look at what the failures in the system of mental health and health care were,” said Sturko.
Kelowna RCMP say that the driver of the ice cream truck that blocked WR Bennet Bridge Monday for more than 10 hours was an individual in crisis and has not yet been charged.
Get weekly health news
“Though not injured, the suspect in this incident remains in hospital,” said Cpl. Michael Gauthier
RCMP did not confirm if the suspect is being detained under the Mental Health Act. However, Sturko is calling for the province to provide adequate care for mental illness.
“People need to have access to supports and need to feel welcomed to do that. That is why we have made so many investments into our mental health care system and really talking about mental health as health. It’s part and parcel of the whole health care system.”
Osborne refers to the call lines as well as Foundry which is several mental health centres throughout the province. In the fall of last year the province announced it would open highly-secure facilities for people under the Mental Health Act throughout B.C.