OneCity to bring peer-led mental health teams to Vancouver if it wins in October

A party running in October’s municipal elections says it is committed to implementing Peer Assisted Care Teams (PACTs) in Vancouver if it wins in October’s municipal election.

OneCity Vancouver says it will launch the teams of crisis response workers to mental health or substance-use emergencies.

“At the moment, when an individual has a mental health breakdown or acute episode in our city, 911 operators dispatch police to the scene,” OneCity council candidate Matthew Norris said in a statement.

“But police officers aren’t trained in mental health response, and can escalate these situations, resulting in needless criminal charges and even tragedy. We know there’s a better way to handle these emergencies, and we’re going to roll it out as soon as possible,” Norris said.

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PACT members would be first responders under the program, and the teams would work to de-escalate situations and connect the individual to ongoing community services and support, the party said in a statement.

Already operating across the three North Shore districts — City of North Vancouver, District of North Vancouver, and District of West Vancouver — the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) has long advocated for this peer-based approach, OneCity says.

According to the CMHA, it has been shown to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.

In a statement to CityNews, Jonny Morris, the CEO of CMHA, says the organization is pleased to see a conversation about additional responses to mental health happening at the local level.

“Our goal is to continue to advocate for initiatives that are person-centered and community-led. PACT teams are intended to work alongside existing community support to respond to crisis with care. By advocating for a civilian-led approach, we aim to reduce the reliance on police resources and expand the existing continuum of care,” Morris said.

In the specific context of Vancouver, OneCity says in the Downtown Eastside, PACT teams would work in partnership with neighbourhood frontline organizations and help to respond to the overlapping emergencies “too many residents are facing.”

In the party’s platform announcement Monday, OneCity said this commitment is the “first plant and priority” of the party’s community safety platform.

The party also announced its intention to support Indigenous-led justice and community safety initiatives, such as the Bear Clan Patrol; support restorative justice initiatives; evaluate community policing centres to see what may be transferred to civilian groups; and demand greater municipal control and oversight of the Vancouver Police Department’s budget and training.

In a statement, Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs Grand Chief Stewart Philip says for too long “we have been throwing police at problems ultimately created by colonial systems founded on inequality and exclusion.”

Philip says this approach has failed Indigenous people and is glad to see OneCity take a different approach.

“That kind of proposal is what we need to actually solve problems and build a safer city,” he said.