The Conservative Party of B.C. has pledged to enforce maximum wait standards for mental health care if elected, cutting into a 35-day average wait time.
But a previous promise to shut down all drug consumption sites appears to have disappeared in the party's mental health platform unveiled by leader John Rustad on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
Instead of closing overdose and safe injection sites, the platform now speaks of holding overdose prevention sites accountable and says "as a temporary and emergency measure, some existing overdose prevention sites may be required." Rustad referred to this as a short-term "bridging" during a planned build-up of treatment and recovery facilities.
"But we are going to make sure that there are strict standards and rules in place in order to go through that," he said. "Our goal is to make sure the facilities that are opened are going to be able to be focused on linking people to recovery. It's a key piece that is missing."
He also promised to appoint a provincial addictions specialist to oversee the response to this public health emergency.
The Conservative leader announced his party's mental health platform in Coquitlam within sight of the former Riverview psychiatric institution. The facility, whose origins date back to the early 1900s, formally closed in 2012 in the face of changing sensibilities in the treatment of the mentally ill.
Conservatives plan to re-open the facility but re-purpose it as what the party calls a "centre of excellence for mental health care and addictions recovery, including new secure treatment capacity."
The party's pledge to close overdose prevention sites was first made during the opening days of the campaign. Rustad spoke of them as 'drug dens' during an announcement in Richmond. Vancouver Coastal Health announced it wouldn't pursue plans for such a facility in Richmond following days of heated, emotional hearings. The provincial government in September also suspended a new permanent supportive housing project in that community.
Present for the platform announcement were Christian DeSousa's parents. DeSousa died from an illicit drug poisoning on Vancouver’s East Hastings Street in January 2024 at the age of 28 after struggling with a drug addiction since his teens.
Nicola DeSousa blamed bureaucratic hurdles around involuntary treatment for her son's death. The Conservative mental health platform restates earlier pledges around involuntary care with any future legislation to be dubbed Christian’s Law.
“Drug addiction often robs people of their ability to make life-saving decisions," Rustad said in a statement. "We will not abandon them. Christian’s Law will provide compassionate intervention for those who can’t ask for help themselves."
"I lost my son to a crisis — a crisis made worse by bad policies and irresponsible leadership," DeSousa said. "He had a full life ahead of him, but he needed help and he deserved better...(we) shouldn't have to bury a child because the political class isn't willing to act."
Prior to the start of the election campaign, B.C. NDP Leader David Eby had announced plans to expand involuntary care, but DeSousa told Postmedia at the time that this move came too late for her son.
"My son is dead because of the NDP government," she said, holding back tears. "Antonio and I did everything possible to save our son, but Eby's government refused to help us."
Other elements in the platform include the ending of decriminalization and safe supply, what the party calls a "strong emphasis on prevention", and the expansion of treatment facilities outside major urban areas. Further details and costs will be made available prior to election day, Rustad said, adding the province currently lacks the full capacity to implement the platform.
The B.C. NDP said in a statement that Rustad was part of government when Riverside finally closed. The party also accused the Conservatives of pulling already existing objectives from the NDP plan, and of changing their position on overdose prevention sites.
Rustad said the B.C. NDP had its chance in dealing with the opioid crisis that has so far killed more than 14,000 British Columbians since being declared a public health emergency in 2016.
