Brampton considers compulsory treatment for addiction and mental health

As Peel Region grapples with an ongoing drug crisis, Brampton’s mayor is proposing a controversial idea to the Ontario government: calling on the province to allow involuntary treatment for people struggling with mental health and addiction problems.

At a news conference on Thursday, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown called on the province to implement a pilot project that would allow first responders in Peel Region to bring people suffering from severe addiction, mental health disorders and brain injuries in against their will to a psychiatric facility – if deemed necessary by a doctor.

That would require changes to the province’s Mental Health Act, which the premier says he could be open to.

Although involuntary treatment has its detractors and advocates and medical professionals are concerned about its effectiveness and impact on individual rights, the idea is already being seriously considered in other parts of the country.

In British Columbia, a province that has struggled with one of the country’s worst drug crises in years, the government announced this weekend that it will expand involuntary care for people with mental health and addiction problems. New Brunswick is also considering the same change.

Brown, who called involuntary treatment “compassionate care,” said Ontario needs to follow suit.

“British Columbia’s approach provides a vital lifeline for people in crisis and helps people regain control when addiction limits their ability to seek help,” Brown said.

“If someone is in the middle of a heart attack and can’t explain that they need to go to the hospital, you still take them to the hospital for treatment,” he said.

“There are people who are on the verge of death and need urgent treatment.”

Peel Region is increasingly inundated with overdoses and emergencies related to toxic drugs and mental health issues, Brown said, noting that there have been 705 deaths related to toxic substances in the last five years. He said Brampton was the epicenter of the crisis in the region.

Since 2010, Brampton’s emergency mental health and addictions emergency room visits have increased 121 percent, he said. This places a greater burden on emergency services and Peel Regional Police, which Brown said has received over 30,000 calls related to mental health and addictions since 2022.

Compulsory treatment raises legal and medical questions

But the proposal has its critics.

Last year, the Canadian Civil Liberties Union opposed proposals to introduce involuntary treatment in New Brunswick and British Columbia, saying it violates individual rights and may even be unconstitutional.

Brown said Thursday he expects the involuntary care will be challenged in court, but Brampton has conducted extensive consultations on the issue and believes it will prevent hundreds of unnecessary deaths.

On Thursday, Dr. David Gratzer, a psychiatrist at the Center for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH), told CBC Radio Metro morning that doctors are already able to treat a person against their will in exceptional circumstances, such as when someone is not eating or sleeping or is close to death.

Expanding those powers is not the answer, he said, but praised Brampton for finding new ways to address the crisis. Gratzer said the problem is complex and requires complex solutions.

More investment in mental health and addictions resources is a better start, he said.

“We need to empower people who want to get sober to have that opportunity,” he said.

“Let’s build resources so that someone addicted to, say, fentanyl today can get the treatment they want — not in 10 weeks, not in 15 weeks, not in 20 weeks — but today.”

Gratzer said more resources and responses to the root causes of mental health disorders, addictions and homelessness would also prevent more deaths.

Brampton County. Rowena Santos said Thursday that involuntary treatments were only a small part of the government’s broader response to the crisis and would only be used as a last resort.

“It is critical that any policy is paired with broader initiatives that address the root causes of addiction and homelessness,” Santos said.

“Simply detaining people for treatment without addressing underlying social factors such as homelessness will not lead to lasting recovery,” she said.

Province is open to ideas but is staying the course for now

In order to introduce “compassionate care” in Peel Region, the province would need to make changes to the Mental Health Act.

At a news conference Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford said Mental Health and Addictions Minister Michael Tibollo is “a big fan” and the province is considering it.

“But we have to look at it pretty carefully,” he said.

In an emailed statement Thursday, Hannah Jensen, a spokeswoman for Minister Tibollo, said the province’s focus “is on creating a system of care that prioritizes providing care to people who want treatment.” “To connect the support and treatment they need, where and when they need it.”

The province recently announced it would spend $378 million to support 19 “homelessness and substance abuse treatment centers” across Ontario, while banning supervised consumption sites near schools and day care centers.

Mayor Brown said Thursday he believes there are advocates for compassionate care in the provincial government and he hopes leaders in Peel Region and other Ontario cities struggling with drug-related deaths will “take over the government’s support.” “We can change the status quo.”