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
B.C. teen with Canada's first human case of avian flu in critical condition, Dr. Bonnie Henry says
The teenager who is sick with the first-ever human case of avian influenza acquired in Canada is in hospital in critical condition, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead new ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ in Trump administration
President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” in his second administration.
Here's why thieves may be stealing butter in Canada
The case of the missing butter remains a mystery, but some have ideas on what's behind the unusual crimes.
Former B.C. premier John Horgan dies at 65
Former B.C. premier John Horgan, a popular leader renowned for his affable personality and dedicated public service, has died
Alleged serial killer previously pled guilty to 2018 attack on Waterloo, Ont. bus
The woman accused of killing three people in three days in three Ontario cities also previously admitted to attacking strangers on buses in the Region of Waterloo.
Air Canada to add new routes to U.S., Europe and North Africa in summer 2025
Getting to destinations in the U.S., Europe and North Africa is about to get easier, as Air Canada announced it will be increasing flights to a number of new destinations this summer.
Body found in Montreal park identified as cryptocurrency influencer
The body of a man that was found in a park in the Ahunstic-Cartierville borough last month has been identified as cryptocurrency influencer Kevin Mirshahi.
History in Halifax is slowly being wiped off the map: study
Saint Mary's University archeologist Jonathan Fowler is sounding an alarm with a new study. According to Fowler, the centuries-old architecture that adds to Halifax’s heritage and historic vibe is slowly being wiped away as the city grows.
2-year-old gorilla 'Eyare' dies unexpectedly at Calgary Zoo
A young gorilla at the Calgary Zoo has died. The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo announced a member of its western lowland gorilla troop passed away unexpectedly, in a news release Tuesday.