By Chris Beach

Northern View

The Northern View #49: Mental Heath Facilities Needed in the North

Oct 9, 2024 | 5:15 AM

There have been many promises made by all parties in the last few weeks since the BC election started, from tax cuts to subsidized housing to strengthening the criminal justice system.

One thing that seems to have widespread support in BC is bringing back long-term mental health facilities like psychiatric hospitals that were shuttered in the 1990s and 2000s. While certainly some people have found themselves homeless as a result of bad luck, personal setbacks and the ever-increasing cost of living in BC, a much larger proportion of people who are living on the streets have mental health and addiction issues.

These people need to be placed in longer-term treatment getting the care they need in order to be safer, healthier, and much less of a burden on the rest of society. Such facilities will require significant investment to build, operate and staff, but this crisis is already costing us millions every day as it stretches our ambulance, emergency room and RCMP services to the brink.

While both Conservative Leader John Rustad and NDP Leader David Eby are making promises about new long-term hospitals, they simply have to make them happen sooner rather than later in order to make a real difference.

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And they shouldn’t just be in Vancouver where most new facilities get built, particularly when there is so much need throughout the North and here in Prince George for long-term treatment.

Prince George City Councilors Sampson, Klassen and Frizzel are making motions this month to advocate for a psychiatric and addictions hospital here in Prince George, and in my opinion the recently shuttered youth prison should definitely be considered as an option, as it would save years of construction time and tens of millions of taxpayer dollars.

This is something that all our local candidates in the provincial election should be talking about and endorsing, and hopefully after October 19th, following through on. I’m Chris Beach and this is the Northern View.

Editors note: The views expressed in this column do not necessarily represent the views of Pattison Media.