The BC government is committing $101 million to a new mental health and addictions facility in the Riverview Lands in Coquitlam.
Premier John Horgan says he’s excited about this new facility in the Lower Mainland.
However, when asked what the government plans to do about northern communities, he became defensive.
“I’ve directed Judy to leave no stone unturned to look at every solution possible. I met with the prime minister yesterday raised it again as a national crisis. I think all reasonable people are working as hard as they can to get to the bottom of this, But we have a crisis on our hands and it won’t be fixed by a snap of the fingers.”
Horgan stressed it’s only been 16 weeks since taking office and his government is working hard to help places in the north who need modern health centres to tackle the opioid crisis.
Minister for Mental Health Judy Darcy says this is just one step towards helping others in the province.
“There may well be people in other parts of the province who are served by Riverview, but we also are going to be taking a hard look at what kinds of services and programs we need in order to meet the needs of people, not just in urban British Columbia, but in rural communities as well.”
The new facility is slated to open in 2019 and will be replacing the current Burnaby Centre for Mental Health.
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