‘Lack of evidence’ raised about involuntary care in Surrey

Surrey is getting more involuntary-care beds funded by the B.C. government, but some advocates are concerned about the impact of forced care on people dealing with addictions issues.

The new 60-bed care facility at 6833/6869 King George Blvd. in Surrey will provide involuntary care and a range of specialized services to support people with complex mental-health and addictions care needs. This adds to beds recently opened at the Surrey Pretrial Services Centre.

The beds are located at the site of the former John Volken Academy, which was ordered closed previously by the province over concerns about mistreatment of those in care – a charge Volken vehemently denied.

Developed in collaboration with the province, Fraser Health, the Provincial Health Services Authority and local partners, the facility will be renovated into a secure mental-health and addictions care facility. Government has approved the business plan for the project. It has a budget of up to $57 million and is anticipated to open in spring 2028.

The Canadian Mental Health Association has expressed concerns about involuntary care for people with addictions.

“People with substance use disorder are the fastest growing population being detained under BC’s Mental Health Act, yet this is not commonly known,” said the CMHA BC. “This fact, along with the recent announcement, is concerning to CMHA BC, knowing that there is a lack of evidence to support the effectiveness of involuntary treatment for people with substance use disorder, and that existing evidence actually suggests that involuntary treatment leads to an increased risk of death due to drug poisoning upon release. The reality is that we are already relying heavily on involuntary care without really examining whether it is effective.”

There are around 30,000 Mental Health Act apprehensions of around 20,000 individuals each year in B.C., which is the highest rate of all provinces in Canada, said the CMHA BC.

“For those who have experienced involuntary care, there have been concerning accounts out of psychiatric wards across the province, including the inappropriate use of restraints and seclusion rooms, the coercive use of sedation and a lack of trauma-informed care that has led to further trauma,” said the CMHA BC.

The province has defended involuntary care as it tries to deal with the province’s toxic drug crisis.

Surrey represents about 10 per cent of all unregulated drug deaths in B.C. – compared to 23 per cent in Vancouver – according to the latest provincial government numbers, but the numbers locally have dropped dramatically in 2026.

So far this year there have been 54 deaths, which is well behind the pace of 2025 in which 178 people died and the peak of 282 in 2021. By comparison, 152 have died in Vancouver so far this year.

The creation of new designated mental-health services under the Mental Health Act is a key recommendation from Dr. Daniel Vigo, who was appointed B.C.’s first chief scientific adviser for psychiatry, toxic drugs and concurrent disorders in June 2024.

The province continues to add and expand care, including early intervention and prevention, treatment and recovery services, supportive and complex-care housing, and overdose prevention services.

“After 10 years, the tide is finally turning on the opioid crisis,” Vigo said. “We have created new services, such as secure Spiritwood-approved homes and the mental-health beds at the Surrey Pretrial Services Centre. And today, we confirm more than 130 new beds offering the full continuum of voluntary and involuntary mental-health and substance-use treatment, with similar scale-ups to come until the whole province is covered with the required levels of integrated community and hospital care for mental health and substance use.”

“Every person struggling with severe mental illness and addiction is someone’s child, parent, sibling or friend. These new beds will help ensure they get the specialized care they need to recover and rebuild their lives,” said Premier David Eby. “Whether people come to care voluntarily or are unable to ask for help, no one should be left in our streets when they are at their most vulnerable. By helping people onto a path to recovery, we can build safer communities while giving more people the opportunity to heal.”

These new beds will add to more than 2,000 existing mental-health beds in B.C. that can provide care for people admitted involuntarily under the Mental Health Act. This includes beds recently opened at the Surrey Pretrial Services Centre and Spiritwood Homes in Maple Ridge, as well as ongoing efforts to expand access to specialized care throughout the province.

Work is also underway to assess future bed capacity in other regions of B.C.

“People living with severe mental-health and addiction challenges need care that is safe, appropriate and responsive to their needs,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “These new facilities in Surrey and Prince George will help ensure more people can access specialized supports, including when they are most unwell and unable to seek help on their own. This work is about making sure we have a comprehensive continuum of care, so people can stabilize and live healthier, fuller lives.”