National

B.C. promises $3M to expand program that partners cops with health-care providers

Darpan News Desk IANS, 17 Jul, 2023 12:33 PM

British Columbia is spending $3 million to expand a program that partners health-care workers with police to respond to mental-health-related calls.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says the program aim is to connect people in crisis to the appropriate services in their community and take pressure off stretched police resources.

Our government is taking action on the biggest challenges we face to keep people and communities healthy and thriving. pic.twitter.com/oYbhtyOlPy
— Mike Farnworth (@mikefarnworthbc) July 17, 2023

New teams are being funded for Abbotsford, Port Coquitlam/Coquitlam, Burnaby, Chilliwack, Penticton, Vernon, Squamish, Prince Rupert and the Westshore on southern Vancouver Island.

Similar programs already exist in 10 B.C. communities including Kamloops, Victoria, Surrey and Vancouver.

The government says one in five interactions with police in B.C. involve someone with a mental-health disorder.

Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Jennifer Whiteside did not provide a specific timeline for when the new programs would be running, but says she anticipates them in “fairly short order.”

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

COVID-19 'steady' but not over in Canada, Tam says

Tam says population immunity is high due to an overall high vaccine uptake combined with the immunity people got from infection. She says officials are continuing to watch for new strains of the virus that can evade people's immune systems.

COVID-19 'steady' but not over in Canada, Tam says

Why Canadian time changes hinge on U.S. law

Daylight time, which sees people enjoy an extra hour of daylight at the end of the day starting March 12, ends on Sunday. The standard function of DST is to set clocks forward by one hour in the spring and thus the phrase spring forward, and to set clocks back by one hour in the Fall thus the phrase fall back to return to original clock time.

Why Canadian time changes hinge on U.S. law

High court upholds B.C. man's voyeurism conviction

Randy Downes had coached minor hockey and children's baseball in Burnaby and Coquitlam for 30 years when he was charged in 2016 after border agents found images on his phone as he returned to Canada from Washington state.

High court upholds B.C. man's voyeurism conviction

Freeland to table 2023 federal budget March 28

The Canadian economy is expected to slow significantly this year and potentially enter a recession as high interest rates squeeze the budgets for individuals and businesses alike. Freeland has stressed that the Liberal government is focused on fiscal restraint, so as to not work against the Bank of Canada's efforts to tame inflation.

Freeland to table 2023 federal budget March 28

Breach of trust case dropped against ex-Liberal MP

Grewal left the federal Liberal caucus in 2018 after his gambling problem came to light and a public outcry ensued. He chose not to run for re-election in 2019. In 2020, the RCMP charged him with four counts of breach of trust and one count of fraud over $5,000.

Breach of trust case dropped against ex-Liberal MP

Turpel-Lafond 'satisfied' with identity, past work

In her most expansive recent remarks since a CBC investigation last fall raised questions about her claim of Cree heritage, Turpel-Lafond said it's "liberating" to be freed of honours because it permits her to "focus on what really matters" in her life.