Jan 27 - South Island police to use mental-health screening app

Good morning !

Greater Victoria police forces have finally started using an app that has been helping other Canadian forces navigate mental-health calls for years. It’s been shown to significantly reduce apprehensions and improve hospital admissions for those in need.

Another effective tactic in Victoria for mental-health calls is CRCL (Crisis Response, Community Led), which can respond directly to a person in crisis without involving police. Out of 10K mental-health calls attended in BC, including Victoria, CRCL was able to resolve 99% without police assistance. It offers follow-up care and has been found to free up police resources.

Hopefully, a combination of these approaches will ensure our most vulnerable neighbours receive appropriate care during a crisis.

— Robyn

Today’s approx. read time: 7 minutes

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NEWS

South Island police forces begin using ‘compassionate’ mental-health screening app

HealthIM, launched in Ontario in 2015, has been used by police forces across Canada for nearly a decade to navigate mental-health calls. Delta Police became the first in BC to utilize the tool in 2019, and in 2024, the province announced it planned a $2M roll-out of the app to all BC forces.

It’s now being used by municipal police departments in Greater Victoria, having launched in December, and will soon be used by RCMP detachments in the region. The partnership includes the participation of Victoria General and Royal Jubilee hospitals.

The app works by guiding officers through a series of questions that will assess the needs of a person dealing with a mental-health crisis. It will then produce a number between one and 10 in three different categories: risk of harm to self, risk of harm to others, and self-care risk.

This info will help determine the next steps of care and how to provide de-escalation tactics in the moment. 

If someone requires acute mental-health care, it can send details of the person’s needs to nearby hospitals, allowing emergency departments to prepare before a person in crisis arrives. Proponents of HealthIM say this can help reduce hospital wait times for officers escorting patients to the ER. 

According to a 2024 statement from the province, the app had contributed to a 46% decrease in police apprehensions, a 39% reduction in hospital wait times, and a 37% increase in hospital admission rates in Ontario, Alberta, and Manitoba. Delta Police say it has freed up officers to attend more calls in the city since its 2019 implementation.

Over time, a harm-analysis history can be developed to provide personalized insight into assisting those with previous police contact.

The chiefs of Greater Victoria police forces and local mayors all praised the tool's ability to create a response based on “compassion.” 

Dean Duthie, chief constable for Saanich PD, said he’s “optimistic” that HealthIM will have a positive impact on both the police and the community.

“This technology has the potential to reduce apprehensions under Section 28 of the Mental Health Act, reduce hospital wait times for our officers, and support alternative outcomes for members of our community in need of care,” Duthie said in a release.

VicPD Chief Fiona Wilson said the tool helps officers avoid relying on “subjective interpretation” of mental-health crises, instead having them rely on “consistent data.”

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Recalls: Pillsbury brand Pizza Pops due to E. Coli contamination and Angry Orange Stain Removers due to microbial hazards. 

Victoria traffic: Single-lane alternating on Esquimalt, from Mary to Russell, today. 9am-3pm. [Info] 

Saanich single-lane alternating traffic: Wesley between Claremont and Catalina Terrace, 9am-3:30pm, through Friday

Point Ellice Bridge construction to begin in the second week of February, lasting four months. [Info]

YYJ flights: A major snowstorm in Eastern Canada may affect travel here. [Check flights here]

NEWS

BC Green leader urges boycott of Jim Pattison brands over possible ICE deal

The head of the BC Greens is calling on British Columbians to boycott The Jim Pattison Group of companies because it appears to be in the midst of striking a real estate deal with US Homeland Security to sell a building it owns in Virginia to be used as a “processing facility” for ICE—Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“To my understanding, ‘processing’ means that there will be human beings rounded up and processed in that very large facility,” Emily Lowan, the newly installed leader of BC’s Green Party, told Capital Daily.

“It's time that we hold corporations in Canada accountable to sever their ties with ICE and Trump's presidency.” 

Five days ago, the government of Hanover, Va.—a county of 117K people located 150 km south of Washington, DC—posted on its Facebook page that it had “received a letter from the US Department of Homeland Security confirming its intent to purchase and operate a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in a warehouse located on Lakeridge Parkway.”

The post said the county did not initiate the project, that it had 30 days to respond to the letter, and that its board of supervisors would consider its next steps at its regularly scheduled meeting tomorrow. 

According to the Canadian Press, property records show Jim Pattison Developments, the Vancouver-based company’s real estate arm, bought the 550K-square-foot building in 2022 for C$10.4M, and following upgrades, it may be worth close to $69M.

Capital Daily’s calls and emails to The Pattison Group were not returned in time to be included in this story. 

“I hope that Jim Pattison feels the heat from his consumer base and cuts his ties with ICE,” Lowan said.

Read the full story here.

⭐️ Capital Picks

📚100 books to read before kindergarten: GVPL has released an updated version of its list of popular children’s books. [GVPL]

🙂 825 Fort Street—Contemporary Rentals. Heritage Soul. Live on fabulous Fort in downtown Victoria's most vibrant neighbourhood. Now leasing for February 2026 move-ins.*

🏠 Saanich heat pump financing deadline is Feb, 9.

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🗞️ In Other News

Victoria council wants municipalities to regulate building emissions
The city is pushing the province to allow local governments to handle greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and is looking for support from other municipalities. The Victoria council also wants BC to take the lead on a class-action lawsuit against fossil fuel companies to recover the costs of repairing infrastructure damaged by climate-change events. The two motions were passed last Thursday and will be debated at the Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities Conference in Victoria, scheduled for this spring. [Times Colonist]

BCCDC warns of veterinary sedative that has entered the province’s drug supply
BC’s public health agency has put out a provincewide alert concerning the new trend of mixing medetomidine, a potent sedative used by veterinarians, into opioids like fentanyl. The substance can cause a low heart rate, changes to blood pressure, and an increased risk of drug poisoning. There has been a rise in paramedic-attended overdoses in “recent months,” the BCCDC said. In November, 38% of opioids tested positive for medetomidine. [BCCDC]

Canada Day celebrations may be ‘fairly minimal’ this year, unless the city can arrange more funding
Last year, the City of Victoria spent $400K on Canada Day, but unless something changes, it only has one-quarter of that put aside for this July 1, which falls on a Wednesday this year. Mayor Marianne Alto and Coun. Jeremy Caradonna are behind a motion to seek more money elsewhere, including from the province, because Victoria is the capital, and the political climate seems to have Canadians more than ever wanting to celebrate who we are as a country, the mayor said. [CHEK]

🗓️ Things To Do

🌲 Coastal Forest Bathing at Malahat SkyWalk: Start the year with a self-guided forest immersion experience high above the Salish Sea, complete with complimentary hot tea and intention-setting along the Malahat SkyWalk. Daily in January. 9am-3pm. [Info]

🧱 20th Annual LEGO Brick Exhibit: Celebrate two decades of impressive LEGO builds and community creations from local builders at this beloved annual showcase running daily through April at the Sidney Museum. [Info]

🍝 Dine Around and Stay in Town: Explore 60+ restaurant participants and 15 hotels offering special menus and packages throughout Greater Victoria. Runs until Feb 8. [Info]

🎶 UJAM Club Night: January Blues: Join the jam or listen to tunes as you chase away the drab and damp of January at Hermann's tomorrow. 7pm. [Info]

📚 Urbanism Book Club: The DRA's Land Use Committee hosts a monthly book club exploring urbanism topics, meeting at theDock tomorrow. 7-8pm. [Info]

❓ Benji's January Pub Quiz: Victoria's Quiz Master Benji brings eight rounds of mental gameplay with good tunes and engaging visuals at Île Sauvage tomorrow. 7:30pm. [Info]

✌ ️ Spice Wannabe: The Spice Girls Tribute: USA's premiere Spice Girls tribute show will bring Girl Power, iconic costumes, and all the hits to McPherson Playhouse. Fri. 7pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Sunday’s headlines: Iranians in Victoria rally for support back home; Weekly roundup; Banking native plant seeds for the future.  [Jan. 25]

Carney announces GST rebate increase for lower-income households. [CTV]

Dingoes found circling Island woman’s body on Australian beach to be culled. [CBC]

Greater Victoria Sports Awards: Nominate someone here until Feb. 16.

12 EV charging ports installed at Ogden Point.

Rehabilitation work on Wharf Street retaining wall complete. [Photos]

Short Circuit Film Festival: Submissions open until Feb. 4.

That’s it!

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