Rally held against expansion of forced treatment in B.C. [Video]

Pledges from both the B.C. NDP and Conservative Party of B.C. to expand the use of forced treatment for people with addictions or severe mental health issues is being met with pushback from some residents of B.C. — as well as Canada’s federal addictions minister.

On Friday, people living in Prince George — one of the cities hardest-hit by the illicit drug overdose crisis — held a rally on the steps of the Prince George courthouse, urging political leaders to work first on expanding options for voluntary treatment across B.C. rather than focusing on compulsory care.

“We need free treatment beds. We need rapid access to detox and no wait list,” said one of the rally’s organizers, Corrine Woods.

A member of Moms Stop the Harm, she said she lost her own son to an overdose in 2018 and knew first-hand the difficulty of accessing care. 

“We have thousands of kids who would voluntarily like to try …