Sask. introduces new act allowing involuntary addiction treatment

The Government of Saskatchewan has introduced a new law to support people with severe addictions who aren’t able to look for help, despite serious health and safety risks.

The Compassionate Intervention Act allows for involuntary addictions treatment, bringing Saskatchewan into step with provinces like Alberta and B.C., which have already introduced similar measures.

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“Individuals struggling with addiction need our support on their path to recovery,” Lori Carr, Saskatchewan’s minister for mental health and addictions.

“They need a safe space, support and compassionate intervention. We are focused on meaningful long-term recovery for Saskatchewan residents.”

Currently, addictions treatment for adults in Saskatchewan requires voluntary participation, and the provincial government noted that existing legislation does not support addiction intervention.

“By investing in compassionate care for those struggling with severe addiction, we are not only saving lives, but we are strengthening families, communities, and the future of our province,” said Tim McLeod, Saskatchewan’s justice minister.

“Every person deserves the chance to heal, rebuild and thrive.”

Who will be put into treatment?

According to the provincial government, the Recovery-Oriented System of Care would include “strict criteria for entering someone into involuntary treatment.”

The proposed model would let family members request treatment for a loved one through the courts.

“Law enforcement can also intervene if a person’s substance use is putting their own life or the lives of others at serious risk,” the government noted.

Individuals may only be brought to a compassionate intervention assessment centre by police or a peace officer, when referred by a medical professional, or through a judge’s warrant, noted the government.

Speaking about the first option, McLeod said police and crisis teams would need to identify that a person is going to pose a threat to themselves or others in order to take them to the assessment centre.

Once at the centre, if it’s determined the individual isn’t in a mental state to make the choice to enter treatment, such as “they don’t have the capacity necessary to choose their care, then the review panel could be called upon to determine what that next pathway is,” he said.

According to McLeod, involuntary treatment is a similar approach to what’s already being done under the Mental Health Services Act, where people determined to be a risk to their own or others’ safety can get placed into involuntary care.

The difference here is that it’s a “result of complex addiction.”

Whether or not the panel decides someone needs go into involuntary treatment will depend on each individual situation.

There’s no defined time frame on how long a person could be in treatment, according to Carr, since some people “heal faster than others.”

If a person’s circumstances change, though, McLeod said the legislation will make it clear that the panel will need to reassess the person.

“They will be evaluated again, and at that point in time it would be determined, you know, are they going to move on to voluntary treatment? Are they ready to move on to a post treatment space?” Carr added.

McLeod also said once a person who was placed in involuntary treatment recovers the capacity to make a healthy choice, they’ll “no longer qualify under the criteria for this act.”

There’s no word yet on where the first involuntary treatment facility would be located or many beds it would have.

NDP’s response

While the NDP didn’t come out and explicitly express its opposition to the legislation, Mental Health and Addictions Critic Betty Nippi-Albright said the government is prioritizing the wrong issue.

She said people actively looking for addictions treatment are on wait lists.

“There’s many people out there wanting to get into treatment, and there’s no spaces available today” Nippi-Albright said, adding how the government’s focus should be on adding voluntary treatment beds today.

– with files from 650 CKOM’s Marija Robinson