Premier Ford Open to Involuntary Addiction Treatment
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Ontario's Big City Mayors are pressing the province to expand forced treatment laws as homelessness and addiction crises worsen.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford stated Thursday that he is open to the possibility of involuntary addiction treatment, provided the move helps both the patients and their communities. The announcement came during a cabinet shuffle that saw the appointment of Michelle Cooper as the new associate minister of mental health, according to CBC Toronto.
The push for expanded forced treatment comes from Ontario's Big City Mayors group, which has repeatedly urged the province to review the Health Care Consent Act and the Mental Health Act. These laws currently permit short-term involuntary hospital admissions. In a late August communication, the mayors' group stated that the crisis is worsening and that "lives are at stake," noting that municipalities are bearing the brunt of costs associated with a spike in addictions and homelessness since the COVID-19 pandemic, CBC Toronto reports.
While Premier Ford expressed a willingness to discuss whether the province should "force these people into treatment" due to the frustration of mayors, other provincial leaders have expressed caution. Health Minister Sylvia Jones has stated a preference for voluntary treatment and is currently consulting with experts, though she has not ruled out involuntary options, per CBC Toronto.
Currently, the province is studying involuntary mental health and addiction treatment within jails, but CBC Toronto reports that no legislation has been proceeded with to date.