Family of teen who died in B.C. homeless camp pushes for involuntary treatment for children with addictions

A dirt path leads to a now dismantled Abbotsford homeless camp.

And not far from the garbage and discarded needles, there are flowers.

They mark the place where Brianna MacDonald, who had just turned 13, died last month of a suspected overdose.

"In a tent, by herself. I think it's the hardest thing to stomach," said her mom, Sarah MacDonald, as she wiped away tears.

In February, when Brianna was rushed to hospital because of a suspected overdose, her parents said they begged Surrey Memorial to keep her in the youth psychiatric ward because of her mental health and addiction issues.

"They are like, 'No, that's her choice, her body, her right,'" the grieving mom said, adding that her daughter was only 12 at the time.

"It is tragic. It is heartbreaking to hear this story," said BC Conservative Leader John Rustad.

He said if his party is elected, they will bring in "compassionate intervention legislation" to allow involuntary treatment for those at serious risk due to addiction.

"We will be looking at putting in an option for involuntary care, especially for children," he said.

Premier David Eby told CTV News that his government supports the right of physicians to provide involuntary treatment to those who are severely mentally ill.

"Health-care providers need greater support from the province to identify when they're able to use involuntary care provisions to keep people in and provide them with the care they need," Eby said.

Brianna's parents told CTV News that Fraser Health provided their daughter with needles and other drug paraphenalia as well as pamphlets on how to use safely and naloxone kits. Fraser Health said it only has a record of providing the family with a naloxone kit.

"I found her a few times drawing blood from herself with the needles in the narcan kits because they were bigger needles and a couple times using them for shooting up," said Sarah MacDonald.

"I am absolutely disgusted. I am absolutely disgusted with our system," said Joseph Sikora, founder of Ground Zero Ministries.

He has spent years trying to help those are are homeless and addicted.

And he said B.C.'s harm reduction model is not working.

"They just keep throwing supplies at these drug addicts," he said. "So now what they've created is community palliative care. They're just keeping the individuals comfortable until they kill themselves."

"There's no such thing as a safe way to use a crack pipe," said Rustad. "There's no such thing as a safe way to snort cocaine. These drugs are dangerous and government is actually enabling this."

Sikora said B.C. needs to decrease hurdles for getting into treatment and make the process less complicated.

"As outreach workers and as case workers ... we experience a lot of trouble ourselves trying to navigate through the system trying to get an individual help," he said. "Never mind a person who is hooked on drugs, who doesn't have a phone and who lives in a camp like this or is struggling with major barriers like mental health crises."

According to Fraser Health, there are just 20 child and youth treatment beds in the entire region and six detox beds.

Rustad said his party also promises to build secure facilities designed for treatment of people who pose a risk to themselves or others and establish units to provide targeted care for those experiencing severe addiction or mental health crises.

Meanwhile, Brianna's parents say though they can no longer fight to help their daughter, they will keep battling to help other at-risk children.