Support for involuntary mental health or addictions treatment

Windsor supports changes to Mental Health Act Windsor is supportive of suggested changes to Ontario’s Mental Health Act. CTV Windsor’s Bob Bellacicco explains.

Windsor's mayor is backing a controversial proposal that would force people into involuntary mental health or addictions treatment.

What people across the province are talking about was referenced in a Facebook post by Mayor Drew Dilkens.

In it, Dilkens supported a perspective from Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, who is calling on the Ontario government to make changes to the provincial mental health act that would force people with addictions and mental health into treatment.

Dilkens was not available for comment Thursday, but a couple of his councillors chimed in.

"No one's talking about kidnapping anybody here," said Coun. Ronaldo Agostino.

"What is happening right now is not working," said Coun. Angelo Marignani. "So, we need to focus on something, something new, something out of the box, and it might just be the mandatory treatments for individuals who, basically, they've given up. So, we have to give them hope."

Agostino added, "I'm talking about full time, supportive health care for the people that need it the most, and those people that need it the most also happen to be the people that are causing some of the grief for a lot of the other people in the areas where the help is needed."

Involuntary treatment has been enacted in British Columbia. The verdict is still out on the success but the Canadian Mental Health Association B.C. shared its concerns in a report saying, "A movement to detain more people under these conditions and culture, without addressing significant gaps in the quality and effectiveness of care, will not lead to positive or dignified outcomes for people."

Chris Thibert is an addiction counselor with Phoenix at the Downtown Mission and says his experience taught him that hitting rock bottom was what it took for him to turn his life around.

"I came to the point where I knew that it was either sobriety, get better or die. It wasn't going to take them. It took me to finally wake up and say, okay, I want to live…. My kids on one side, my mom on the other side, yelling and screaming from both sides, trying to get me figuratively, trying to get me to change and I couldn't come to that realization until I did myself," he said.

Agostino feels if someone is repeatedly critical there should be a condition of sentence and treatment should be made available.

"I think it's policy changes now that we have to start looking at to coincide with some of the other things that are happening."