B.C. premier announces review of mental health legislation in wake of Vancouver festival tragedy
Provincial day of mourning to be held on Friday
In the wake of the Vancouver festival tragedy that left 11 dead, several injured, and people around the world grieving, B.C.'s premier said there will be a review of the province's mental health legislation to ensure it's working the way it's intended.
The premier has also announced that Friday, May 2, will be a provincial day of mourning for the victims and their families.
On Saturday night, a 30-year-old man drove an SUV into a crowd of people at a street festival, just as organizers were winding down activities. The festival, called the Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party, was being held to celebrate the contributions of the Filipino Canadian community.
The man has since been identified as Kai-Ji Adam Lo. He has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder.
Following the incident, interim police Chief Steve Rai said Lo had a history of interactions with police and health-care professionals related to mental health.
"This incident is bringing to light additional concerns and urgency that they have around reform of the Mental Health Act in this province," Eby said Wednesday afternoon.
The Mental Health Act deals with legal issues around voluntary and involuntary treatment for people who have a mental illness.
Eby said Health Minister Josie Osborne and her team will initiate a review of the act. Dr. Daniel Vigo, B.C.'s chief scientific adviser for psychiatry, toxic drugs and concurrent disorders, will be part of the review, Eby said. He did not provide a timeline for the review.
Calls for action, public inquiry
The announcement comes as B.C. leaders call for action from the provincial government to protect the public from future harm.
In the hours and days following the incident, Rai repeatedly fielded questions from reporters asking whether there was enough security and police support for the event. Unlike other events in the city, police did not block the road with vehicle barricades. Rai has been adamant that a risk assessment was done and determined that dedicated officers and heavy police vehicles were not needed.
Police are investigating the tragedy, and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said the city and police department are doing a "comprehensive internal review" of things like permitting, site safety, planning and emergency response. Sim said he expects preliminary information to be available in the coming weeks.
On Tuesday, Eby said that should the criminal investigation into the event not provide "all the answers," the province will call a public inquiry.
"I know that British Columbians want answers, I want answers," he told reporters.
He said he would call one now, but worries it would interfere with criminal proceedings.
Sim said he's "sick and tired" of "administrivia" and wants any public inquiry to include a review of mental health supports in the province.
"Sure, let's do these inquiries," he said. "How many more inquiries do we need? How many more reviews do we need? We see a recurring pattern of mental health people suffering from significant mental health challenges that lead to significant negative incidents."
Sim said he wants to see more treatment beds made available and more "meaningful" bail reform.
"Mental health is health care, and health care is a provincial responsibility. Vancouver is stepping up, but we can't and we should not be doing this alone."
'Sister legislation'
Lo was under the care of a mental health team and "on extended leave" in accordance with the Mental Health Act, according to the local health authority, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH).
VCH said people are put on extended leave under the act to give them a chance to integrate back into the community. Anytime someone is on extended leave, a mental health team monitors their well-being and provides support as needed. If they refuse treatment or support, they can be recalled to the hospital.
"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 in an email to CBC News.
Public safety critic and Surrey South Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko said the Mental Health Act is an "effective piece of legislation" for those who meet the criteria. But, she said, sometimes people fall through the cracks or their situation changes, and they still don't get the care they need under the act.
She said she wants to see some sort of "sister legislation" to cover the people who don't quite qualify under the current act.
Without changes, she said, more people will get hurt.
"This is horrific, but it is not the first horrific incident that we've had involving a connection to mental illness," she told Stephen Quinn, the host of CBC's The Early Edition, on Wednesday morning.
In 2023, three people were stabbed at a festival in Chinatown by a man who was on a day pass from the B.C. Forensic Psychiatric Hospital.
Last September, a man killed one person and cut another's hand off in a pair of attacks in downtown Vancouver. Police said the suspect, who was on probation at the time of the attacks, had more than 60 documented contacts with police and that he "appears to be a very troubled man."
In December, a suspect was shot and killed by police at a Vancouver convenience store after he allegedly stole liquor and attacked and injured two people. While the suspect's identity was never released, the premier suggested mental health, addiction and brain injury played a role in the man's mental state at the time of the incident.
"There is some work here to do," Sturko said.
"It is clear that even with extensive services being reported, there are still failures that are leading to people either falling victim themselves or being involved in serious criminal interactions that leave them in jeopardy."
Additionally, she said she wants to see a full review of the entire mental health-care system in B.C.
Eby said that, without question, the mental health-care system needs more resources.
Support is available for those impacted by the Vancouver festival tragedy. Victim Services is available 24 hours a day by calling or texting 1-800-563-0808 or by email at [email protected].
The provincial mental health support line can be reached at 310-6789 (no area code required). A crisis line is also available at 1-800-784-2433.
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