Vancouver council set to provide $2.8M funding boost for city’s mental health services
The City of Vancouver will be providing $2.8 million in funding to the local health authority to bolster the city’s mental health services, officials announced Sunday.
Mayor Ken Sim made the announcement at a news conference, saying most of the money will be used to hire 58 mental health workers and allow for the expansion of existing programs, including the VPD's Car87/88 program.
For decades, this service has responded to mental health calls by sending a two-person team pairing a police officer in plainclothes with a mental health professional from Vancouver Coastal Health.
“This investment, along with the funding allocation from council to hire the 100 police officers, will serve to bolster Vancouver’s frontline mental health and public safety response,” Sim said, adding that more funding will be made available in future years, eventually reaching a total of $8 million.
The mayor was joined by a number of provincial and city officials including Premier David Eby and Vancouver Police Department Chief Adam Palmer.
One of the key planks in Sim's platform was a promise to hire 100 new officers and 100 mental health nurses to expand partnerships between police and health-care workers to respond to mental health emergencies. Sim, who was elected several months ago, said he would make this happen on "day one."
Eby said he was in attendance to “recognize when a city steps up” to find ways to address complex issues.
“We want our communities to be safer and we want our communities to be healthier,” Ebay said. “People in our province and across North America have seen our streets change for the worse after the pandemic.”
VCH's Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Patricia Daly said the health authority will start recruiting once the funding is approved, with new staff expected to start work by the end of the calendar year. Despite staff shortages within the health sector, she said her team is confident of being able to fill the new positions.
“We have been successful in recruiting nurses and other mental health workers who are passionate about working in the downtown eastside and inner city and our team believes we can do that for this program as well,” she said.
Council is set to vote on amotion to approve the grant on Feb. 14.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.