The B.C. government is introducing amendments to the Mental Health Act aimed at improving care for people with the most severe mental-health and substance-use challenges. The proposed changes focus on strengthening involuntary care and ensuring clearer protections for the health-care workers who provide it.
If approved, the legislation would remove Section 31(1) and replace it with a modernized liability-protection clause under Section 16. The existing provision has been in place for more than 40 years, but government says its wording has sometimes created uncertainty for front-line staff who treat involuntary patients. The updated language is intended to clearly affirm that workers are protected when providing psychiatric care under the act.
Officials say the amendment supports the act’s core purpose: ensuring people who are too unwell to seek help receive timely treatment. The Ministry of Health notes that more than 2,000 involuntary care beds are already in place across the province, with additional spaces recently opened in Maple Ridge and at Surrey Pretrial Services Centre. Larger mental-health facilities underway in Surrey and Prince George will also be able to provide both voluntary and involuntary care once completed.
Government says the update aligns with broader efforts to expand mental-health services, including treatment beds, youth supports, culturally grounded Indigenous care, and integrated crisis-response teams.
Comments