Two ex-Mounties squared off in the legislature this week over the mental health crisis that looks to be at the heart of the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»street festival mass killing.
One — Opposition critic Elenore Sturko — was responsible for criticizing gaps in the area of police options and responses to mental health calls. The other — Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Garry Begg — was charged with defending his portfolio’s part of the government’s efforts.
For all the mutual respect arising from their shared career paths, he flopped. Considering how white-hot the issue is, the minister should have had a much better handle on the file.
Their lengthy debate was a preview of what the quick review of B.C.’s Mental Health Act will be grappling with in private. Premier David Eby ordered the review after the street festival killings.
Sturko focused on the police response to the recent increase in serious incidents involving mentally-ill people and/or drug-addicted people terrorizing innocent citizens. Included was a corresponding increase in assaults on police.
She asked for information on how many province-wide police calls relate to mental health crises.
Begg said: “Statistically there is no way that we can quantify the numbers. … Many times, what started out as a call for police was redirected … so that call is negated.
“With the purported increase in persons under the effect of drugs or suffering from systemic problems or brain injuries, it’s difficult to quantify, in an empirical way, that total amount.”
He said police “have anecdotally suggested to us that there are increasing examples where the mental health aspect of the client comes into play.”
The government’s position seems to be it is “purported” because it’s only “anecdotal.” And it’s not empirical because there isn’t much in the way of hard data.
Sturko queried if there is money in the current budget to collect data, citing yet another random attack by someone released after a court appearance.
Begg said the review will look into that issue and he expected the Health Ministry to call on police to get the information needed to reform the act.
“We recognize there are deficient aspects … which require our attention.
Asked about how many people are apprehended by police under the act every year, he said he’d provide details later.
Sturko said it was unfortunate the information isn’t available, because a new app was created last year to track those kinds of encounters.
HealthIM is a mobile app for police responding to mental health crises, in partial use since last year.
But there is no data yet on how it is working, something that Sturko said is disappointing.
“The fact we would be a year in and not have an analysis even in the first six months … even though it is now expanding.”
The government committed $3 million last year to fund a select number of police mental health outreach teams. Sturko asked for an update, but Begg said she should ask the Health Ministry.
She also asked about progress in adding a fourth option to the 911 system. It now handles police, fire and ambulance calls. There has been discussion of adding mental health to the categories of requested responses.
Begg said it “is one of the things I suspect that we will take a look at. There is nothing in the current go-forward budget to accommodate that.”
Asked about statistics on how many offenders are found unfit to stand trial and are free, Begg said there is a relatively new cabinet committee on community safety to look at issues like “how do things fall through the cracks, for example.
“It’s a new committee. I think we’ve met perhaps once or twice since it was formed.”
He cited a year-old repeat violent offender intervention initiative that is showing progress, but acknowledged that it doesn’t involve people who are found unfit to stand trial.
Just So You Know: Begg was more definitive on the subject of respecting the convention that politicians don’t comment on criminal matters. “It’s unfair of me to look at one particular case and cast judgment on it.”
That puts him at odds with Premier David Eby, to whom the custom no longer seems to apply. He violated it repeatedly in the wake of the mass killing. (Sample: “That man should spend the rest of his goddamned life behind bars.”)
Legislature Speaker Raj Chouhan on Tuesday warned MLAs to exercise restraint when talking about police investigations and court matters, so they don’t unfairly influence processes.
It was obvious to all who was getting the warning.
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