As the first full week of campaigning in the provincial election gets underway, a group representing BC’s social workers is calling for more information from the Premier on his intention to expand involuntary care for the heavily addicted and those with severe mental health challenges.

Kamloops-based President of the BC Association of Social Workers, Michael Crawford, notes people can already be held for treatment under the Mental Health Act.

“What I think the Premier is suggesting here is that they’re moving in the direction of greatly expanding that kind of program, and extending it to individuals who have brain injuries as a result of the toxic, unregulated drug supply,” said Crawford.

He notes that since the public health emergency on toxic drugs was declared, around 15,000 people have since died from overdose, suggesting better management of existing programs might be a better solution.

“We still have a very inadequate response to that issue,” said Crawford.  “We don’t have enough drug checking sites. We don’t have enough safe inhalation and injection sites. We don’t have enough withdrawal management or detox services.”

Crawford suggests a better focus might be on expanding housing opportunities to reduce the number of people on the streets.

“It’s just not affordable when people are pushed into the streets. They come out of hospital, out of jail, they age out of child welfare,” said Crawford.

Ahead of the official start of the provincial election campaign, Premier David Eby announced that British Columbia will be opening secure facilities to provide involuntary care under the Mental Health Act for those with severe addictions who are mentally ill and have sustained a brain injury.

Eby pledged a re-elected NDP would change the law in the next legislative session to “provide clarity and ensure that people, including youth, can and should receive care when they are unable to seek it themselves.”

–With files from Jeff Andreas, The Canadian Press