Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim renewed on Wednesday his call for “action” on keeping chronic offenders with a mental illness in custody and says he would welcome a review of the province’s mental health system to identify gaps in treatment.
Sim’s comments came during a news conference at city hall where he and Deputy Chief Steve Rai, who is serving as the Vancouver Police Department’s acting chief, provided an update on the Lapu Lapu Day festival tragedy.
“There are people out there who should not be directing their own care, who pose a great risk to their own personal safety and the safety of others,” said Sim, who wasn’t specifically referring to the suspect in Saturday night’s vehicle attack that killed 11 people and injured dozens of others.
Vancouver Coastal Health confirmed that the alleged driver of the vehicle who drove into the crowd was under the care of a mental health team and on “extended leave” in accordance with the Mental Health Act.
The health agency confirmed the details in an email Tuesday after Premier David Eby told reporters earlier in the day that the suspect was under the supervision of a health-care team and compliant with treatment.
“In this situation, the care team followed established guidelines for a client on extended leave, and there was no indication this person was not following their treatment plan or presented a public safety risk,” VCH said.
Eby stopped short of calling a public inquiry into the tragedy, saying he wanted to first wait for the criminal investigation and prosecution to be completed. Sim and Rai said they welcomed an inquiry that would also examine the province’s mental health system.
'Public safety crisis'
At the same time, Sim stressed the urgency of senior governments to implement bail reform now and expand mandatory care for people who are a danger to themselves, the public or both.
“We have individuals that have numerous interactions with police, and nothing happens, and then at some point it manifests into a pretty serious public safety incident,” he said, referring to incidents that have occurred in recent years, including the Sept. 4 attack downtown that saw one man killed and another have his hand severed.
The mayor said the suspect had 60 interactions with police before the attacks on the two victims. Other cases were highlighted this week by BIV in a story that examined whether Vancouver continues to be a safe city.
“We are dealing with a mental health crisis that's manifesting into a public safety crisis, and so we need to daylight those conversations — which we have in the past, and we continue to do — but we need meaningful action on this now,” Sim said.
2,000 involuntary care beds
Eby told reporters Tuesday that the province currently has 2,000 “involuntary care” beds for people living with a mental illness. The Mental Health Act allows police to apprehend and involuntarily detain people who may be a danger to themselves or others, or both.
The provincial government announced April 24 that 10 new involuntary care beds opened open at Surrey Pretrial Services Centre, “providing people in custody who are in crisis and have overlapping mental-health and addiction challenges, as well as brain injuries due to toxic-drug overdoses, with specialized involuntary care.”
More involuntary care beds are expected to open this spring at Alouette Homes in Maple Ridge. Work continues on more than 400 mental-health care beds at new and expanded hospitals in B.C., all of which can provide involuntary care under the Mental Health Act.
Psychiatric nurses
Rai noted how the VPD has been active for decades in operating mental health-related programs and units — along with training for officers — to address the city’s growing mental health crisis.
Psychiatric nurses now work in the VPD’s command centre at the Cambie Street precinct and teams of mental health workers have been implemented in the city, with most recent additions paid for by the City of Vancouver.
In 2008, the police department published a report titled, Lost in Transition: How a Lack of Capacity in the Mental Health System is Failing Vancouver’s Mentally Ill and Draining Police Resources.
'Incredibly profound and painful time'
Police have said the suspect in Saturday night’s vehicle attack had numerous interactions with police and health-care professionals. Rai wouldn’t answer a question on whether the suspect had ever been apprehended by police under the Mental Health Act.
“It's well known he had a number of interactions — public health officials have confirmed that — and it would be safe to say some of those would be with police prior to getting into the system with health-care professionals,” Rai said.
Kai-Ji Adam Lo, a 30-year-old east Vancouver resident, has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder in connection with the vehicle attack. Police anticipate more charges will be approved as the investigation continues.
Victims of the attack, including some of the injured, have been identified via GoFundMe. Their stories can be read here.
The mayor said the city is working with the Filipino community to hold a public memorial in approximately two weeks. More details are expected to be released soon.
"Our hearts remain with every single victim, every single loved one, and with Vancouver's Filipino community as they navigate through this incredibly profound and painful time," Sim said.
X/@Howellings
