Dangerous data void: Number of B.C. residents on extended leave from involuntary care unknown [Video]

Concerns are being raised after the provincial government admitted it does not know how many people are on extended leave from involuntary care stays in B.C.

On April 30 it was revealed that the suspect in the Lapu Lapu festival tragedy, Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, was under the care of a mental health care team but he was on extended leave at the time.

Angela Russolillo, assistant professor in nursing at the University of British Columbia, told Global News that involuntary care and extended leave are not new, however, the lack of data on the number of people is an issue.

“It’s concerning that the province actually doesn’t have a lot of transparent data on who is certified under the Mental Health Act and who is on extended leave in the province,” she said.

“We’re actually operating in a very dangerous data void in terms of transparent data that’s available to inform care decisions and …