Mayor Ken Sim calling for more involuntary care beds in Vancouver, despite a recent court ruling that says how the province has administered involuntary care is unconstitutional.

With downtown cores across B.C. struggling to deal with the challenges posed by widespread mental health and addiction issues many municipal leaders have been calling on the province to increase funding for involuntary care.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim is among them, demanding Premier Eby create 100 involuntary care beds in the city.

In a public letter, Sim said Vancouver is left to deal with significant costs, and bears an outsized burden when it comes to housing people facing those issues as the province expands involuntary care facilities in Surrey, Prince George, and elsewhere.

A recent Supreme Court of BC decision calls into question how the province administers involuntary care. The ruling that the non-consensual medical treatments which are currently allowed under the Mental Health Act are unconstitutional.

Those who have been on the receiving end of involuntary treatment say the lack of consent leaves them in an incredibly vulnerable position.

Isabella has been admitted involuntarily a number of times. Sometimes even when she sought help on a voluntary basis. She says the process can be brutal to go through and shakes her trust in the entire system.

“The system itself and the policies need to change, and more beds cannot happen unless those systems actually change first,” said Isabella.

“If a patient is mistreated, they don’t have any safeguards themselves, they can’t leave. The process itself is set up in a way that doesn’t treat people who need help as people.”

Some in the legislature say that those issues are at the heart of why involuntary care shouldn’t be looked at as a silver bullet for mental health and addiction.

“It’s not directed at a long-term solution, it’s directed at making headlines,” said Jeremy Valeriote

MLA, West Vancouver—Sea to Sky.

“The evidence shows that involuntary treatment works about 3 per cent of the time. That is not a good statistic. And it’s because people are not ready.”

The court gave the province six months to review its legislation and come back with amendments or appeal the ruling, both options Premier Eby says he’s considering. 

The renewed attention has reignited calls for the more fulsome review that Eby promised in the wake of the Lapu Lapu Day tragedy.

“There’s absolutely a need to take a deeper and closer look at the Mental Health Act. This particular part around consent is just one component of many others that could be examined to bring the Act into the current century,” said Jonny Morris, CEO, Canadian Mental Health Association BC.

In a statement to CityNews, Deputy Premier Niki Sharma said, “We are committed to expanding the capacity for involuntary care to every region of the province. There’s no question the job isn’t finished.”