The provincial government announced Monday morning that Penticton has, following intense lobbying by civic government and the disappointment of prior exclusions, been included in the latest expansion of what has become popularly known as the "Car 40" program.
The initiative pairs health care professionals with RCMP officers to help alleviate situations where a mental health crisis may play a role.
Car 40 debuted provincially in 2013. The latest disappointment for Penticton came in December of 2022, when mayor and council once again pushed for inclusion, only to be left out once more while watching Car 40 services in cities like Kamloops expanded.
Mayor Julius Bloomfield, a big supporter of the program, was elated over Monday's news.
"Council adopted the motion at the beginning of last year," he said. "We then took it to SILGA (Southern Interior Local Government Association) and they endorsed it 100%. Then we took it to UBC and they endorsed it 100%.
"We then lobbied the ministers responsible. That was part of the trip we did to Victoria in the winter. We've done that continually ever since."
According to Bloomfield, Penticton "needs" the service.
"We need it," he said. "I believe it's very important for Penticton.
"Mental health workers go out with the RCMP on wellness checks to help the officers do the work of processing clients should they need to go into the health care system. It takes a tremendous workload off the officers and frees up time so they can go and deal with 911 calls and that sort of thing."
What's more, the provincial government covers the costs.
"It's the Ministry of Health that pays for the health care workers that go out with the RCMP," he said.
"It's not a silver bullet," he said, "but it is an integral part of the fleet of services that we need to have to deal with the drug epidemic and the mental health epidemic that goes on in our province. This is about finding other solutions to the problem rather than just trying to hire more RCMP officers. "
Also included in Monday's program expansion are the population centres of Abbotsford, Port Coquitlam/Coquitlam, Burnaby, Chilliwack, Vernon, Squamish, Prince Rupert and the Westshore.
"When people are in crisis because of mental health challenges, we want them met with compassion and appropriate care," said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.
"We are expanding crisis-response teams across the province to ensure that at their most vulnerable time, people in distress in our communities receive a health-focused response and connections to the services and supports they need on their pathway to well-being."
Details as to the debut of the service localy and the number of days and/or hours it'll be active are expected to be made public later this week.
