B.C. gov’t to share update on involuntary care

B.C. government officials are set to make an announcement on involuntary care Monday.

Premier David Eby and provincial Health Minister Josie Osborne are expected to address media in Victoria at noon, with an update about “strengthening access to care.”

In April, the province opened 10 involuntary treatment beds in a B.C. pretrial facility for men in the criminal justice system struggling with serious mental health and addiction issues.

In September, Eby told delegates at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention that new care facilities, coming to Surrey and Prince George, would add about 100 more beds as part of a broader push to control crime.

Eby said statistics show that crime has fallen by 11 per cent in B.C., but he acknowledged that “people also have to feel safe in their communities.”

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—With files from The Canadian Press