Support for involuntary mental health or addictions treatment
Windsor's mayor is backing a controversial proposal that would force people into involuntary mental health or addictions treatment.
What people across the province are talking about was referenced in a Facebook post by Mayor Drew Dilkens.
In it, Dilkens supported a perspective from Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, who is calling on the Ontario government to make changes to the provincial mental health act that would force people with addictions and mental health into treatment.
Dilkens was not available for comment Thursday, but a couple of his councillors chimed in.
"No one's talking about kidnapping anybody here," said Coun. Ronaldo Agostino.
"What is happening right now is not working," said Coun. Angelo Marignani. "So, we need to focus on something, something new, something out of the box, and it might just be the mandatory treatments for individuals who, basically, they've given up. So, we have to give them hope."
Agostino added, "I'm talking about full time, supportive health care for the people that need it the most, and those people that need it the most also happen to be the people that are causing some of the grief for a lot of the other people in the areas where the help is needed."
(Source: Drew Dilkens/Facebook)Involuntary treatment has been enacted in British Columbia. The verdict is still out on the success but the Canadian Mental Health Association B.C. shared its concerns in a report saying, "A movement to detain more people under these conditions and culture, without addressing significant gaps in the quality and effectiveness of care, will not lead to positive or dignified outcomes for people."
Chris Thibert is an addiction counselor with Phoenix at the Downtown Mission and says his experience taught him that hitting rock bottom was what it took for him to turn his life around.
"I came to the point where I knew that it was either sobriety, get better or die. It wasn't going to take them. It took me to finally wake up and say, okay, I want to live…. My kids on one side, my mom on the other side, yelling and screaming from both sides, trying to get me figuratively, trying to get me to change and I couldn't come to that realization until I did myself," he said.
Agostino feels if someone is repeatedly critical there should be a condition of sentence and treatment should be made available.
"I think it's policy changes now that we have to start looking at to coincide with some of the other things that are happening."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most Americans believe abortion should be legal, at least in most circumstances, but it's still a flashpoint issue in JD Vance's home state
Abortion is a flashpoint in the upcoming American election, even as polls in the U.S. show most people support reproductive freedom. Abortion rights advocates tell CTV News that when candidates take a stance on that, it could influence a decision at the polling station– especially for women on who they want elected.
'2032 is not good enough': Kelly Craft says Canada has to spend faster on defence if Trump wins
A former U.S. ambassador says Canada needs to spend more on defence, and do so faster than the federal government's currently planning to, to meet the expectations of its NATO allies.
Weekend warriors have the same risk of mild dementia as more frequent exercisers, study suggests
People who only exercise on weekends have a similar risk of developing mild dementia to those who work out more frequently, a new study has found.
She got on a plane to find the guy she fell for at Oktoberfest. ‘I’m going to go and find my ginger’
Mandy Suess was so certain the red-haired man she met at Oktoberfest was special that she got on a plane to go and find him
'It’s a dream come true': Holt, Liberal cabinet sworn-in to office
Susan Holt, the province's first female premier, and 18 cabinet ministers took the oath of office in the chamber of the legislative assembly.
Alberta Premier Smith gets 91 per cent support in leadership review
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith received a dominating 91.5 per cent vote of support from her United Conservative Party members in a scheduled leadership review vote on Saturday.
Live from New York: Harris making surprise 'Saturday Night Live' appearance with election looming
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris has made an unannounced trip to New York to appear on an episode of 'Saturday Night Live,' briefly stepping away from the battleground states she’s been campaigning in with just three days to go before the election.
Multiple RTDNA wins for CTV News, including 2 for W5
CTV News won four national news awards and a local news award from RTDNA Canada, the organization announced Saturday night at a gala event in Toronto.
2 people charged in Toronto incident that left police horse and officer injured were out on bail, police say
The driver of a pickup truck who allegedly struck a police horse and rammed several cruisers on Queen Street West on Friday afternoon was out on bail at the time of the incident, Toronto police say.