As British Columbia’s finance minister unveils the province’s budget, the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge has shifted the focus to mental health resources, especially in rural communities.
“Well before this tragic incident, I’ve called for sustained multi-year core funding for community based mental health care,” said Jonny Morris, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association B.C. division.
The Feb. 10 tragedy was one of the worst mass shootings in Canadian history. Eight victims, six of them children, were killed.
The shooter, who died of self-inflicted gun shot wounds, had a history of mental health concerns that drew police to the family home several times.
Questions arise about mental health supports in small B.C. communities after Tumbler Ridge tragedy
The shooting has left the small Peace region community shattered and many, including Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka, are drawing attention to the shortage of doctors, nurses and mental health professionals in rural communities.
“It is one thing that we know as elected officials in our community, that we are short on that, the mental health counselling,” Krakowka said.
Claire Rattee, the B.C. Conservative mental health critic who represents the Skeena riding in northern B.C., says a chronic lack of investment in mental health services has left many behind.
“I represent small rural northern communities in British Columbia and have been saying this for a long time. We do not get the same level of access to mental health supports,” Rattee said.
Morris says his hope for the budget is a long-term strategy to fill the gaps in the mental health system, rather than quick fixes or knee jerk responses.
“It requires a strategic big picture lens, which we recognize is very difficult in the current financial environment for the province. But we are talking about health care. It’s absolutely health care and it’s life saving health care when funded adequately.”
Mental health crisis has become ‘public safety crisis,’ Vancouver mayor says at Lapu-Lapu Day update
The province faced similar calls to amp up investments in the mental health system following the Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy in April last year. Kai-Ji Adam Lo, who was under the care of a mental heath team, allegedly drove his car through the festival, killing 11 people and injuring dozens more.
“We’ve already had two mass casualties that are unheard of in Canadian history,” said Elenore Sturko, Independent MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale. “Here we are less than 10 months … another unspeakable, unimaginable tragedy in the same province. We can’t wait another day. We need action now.”
These calls for new investments come at a time when the province is grappling with a $12-billion deficit, one that has ballooned steadily under Premier David Eby’s tenure.
Finance Minister Brenda Bailey told a business crowd last month to expect a “tough budget” that will make her the “least popular person in the province for a while.”
That’s left many in health care, education and child care bracing for cuts.
A warning of a painful B.C. budget ahead
Eby and Bailey have pledged to shrink the size of the deficit while maintaining core services like health care — which amounts to 40 per cent of the budget — and education.
Former B.C. Liberal finance minister Mike de Jong is skeptical.
“The government’s got a mess on their hands. And candidly, it’s entirely a mess of their own making,” he said.
After years of going deeper and deeper into the red, de Jong says the government has finally admitted that debt is no longer sustainable.
Eby has also acknowledged that it’s time to rein in the size of the public sector, which includes core government workers, as well as teachers, nurses, social workers and those working for Crown corporations. Public sector labour costs amount to 60 per cent of the budget, or about $53 billion.
The government has already set the bar in terms of unionized public sector raises, by offering a 12 per cent raise over four years to the B.C. General Employees Union, following an eight week strike.
Teachers, nurses, paramedics and other unionized employees are in the midst of negotiating their own contracts and will aim for that same benchmark.
“We’re not going to blame individual workers for trying to get the best deal they can. But the government signs these agreements and now wrings its hands in despair and says, ‘Oh my goodness, we’re in difficulty,’” de Jong said.
B.C. budget drops as Tumbler Ridge tragedy puts focus on mental health services
Iglika Ivanova, a senior economist for the left-leaning think tank B.C. Policy Solutions, says the NDP government has a choice.
“The choice is one of austerity or investment in public services,” Ivanova said. “Public services are not a luxury that you can cut when the economy is slow. They’re fundamental to affordability.”
Ivanova said Eby’s pledge to shrink the size of the public sector is short-sighted.
“We have huge inequities in access to public services in rural areas. People are waiting for health care, ERs are closing, people are being treated in the hallway because there’s no beds in the hospital. I think these are very important issues that we need to resolve.”
