Mayors press for Mental Health Act review as opioid, homelessness crisis worsens

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The mayors of Ontario’s largest cities including Brantford’s Kevin Davis want the provincial government to review mental health regulations.

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The mayors also want the province to consider expanding the scope of involuntary treatment for those suffering from severe mental health, addictions and living on the streets.

“I’m really concerned about some of the people I see on the street and in many cases they don’t have an addiction issue but they do have very severe mental health issue,” Davis said.

“When they’re brought in and off the streets it’s often for short periods of time and they end up back on the street again.”

The mayor described their lives as “miserable”, saying a case can be made to expand involuntary treatment. Other provinces are going in that direction.

Davis made the comments in an interview after the mayors of 29 Ontario cities called on the province to review the Health Care Consent Act and the Mental Health Act. The 29 mayors, who represent Ontario cities with more than 100,000 population, meet every two months to discuss common issues of concern.

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All, to some degree, are confronting an unprecedented homelessness, addiction and mental health crisis. They are searching for solutions to a worsening problem.

“What we’re hoping to do is spark a discussion, a very serious discussion to get more leadership from the province on what has become a crisis,” said Davis, who with the help of city staff and the mayors of some other cities has crafted a resolution for Ontario Big City Mayors to consider.

“We’re looking to push the envelope on involuntary treatment; we want to expand the scope.”

The province needs to show leadership on the problem and, at the very least, do a thorough review of the Ontario Mental Health Act, he said.

“It (the act) was written at a time when drugs were a lot different,” Davis said. “The toxicity of the drugs available today were never contemplated back then.”

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Davis said it’s a problem that is getting worse despite considerable efforts by cities.

“We’ve spent a lot of money on enforcement including hiring special constables for the downtown, security cameras and more security,” Davis said. “But our efforts haven’t been just about law and order.

“We’ve done a lot of others things including building more affordable housing.”

Despite the city’s efforts there are some people who can’t be helped because they’re violent and endanger others. That’s where involuntary treatment could come into play, Davis said.

The mayor believes the approach now being used enables those with addictions and he’s becoming increasing concerned with open drug use.

“We’re normalizing it, making it acceptable and I worry about the message that sends to young people.”

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One way of pushing those with addictions towards treatment is through drug treatment courts.

“I’m pushing hard to get a drug treatment court set up here,” Davis said. “It gives someone facing jail time an option and it’s kind of like involuntary treatment because, let’s be honest, the person is being coerced into it.”

Many people who have recovered from addictions will say it was because they became involved in the criminal justice system, he said.

“They’ll say ‘the option of treatment was given to me and I took it to avoid jail and I recovered’,” Davis said.

That is what happened with his best life-long friend, Peter, now deceased, who was a severe alcoholic.

“We tried everything with Peter including family interventions but nothing worked until he was facing criminal charges,” Davis said. “When he was facing a second charge, the judge wouldn’t release him on bail but gave him the option of jail or a treatment program.

“He chose the program, was there for six weeks and never drank again.”

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