On May 17, 2026, Devyn Brugge attempted to file a police report for sexual assault. Instead of receiving support as a survivor, he was apprehended and certified under British Columbia’s Mental Health Act. He remains detained, subject to the decisions of doctors who hold near-absolute power over his liberty and treatment. This is not supposed…
In late May 2026, Vancouver researcher Nicholas Jordan Wagter was pulled over by police and told he was already certified under the Mental Health Act. Reports indicate the Form 4 was based partly on observations made by a psychiatrist weeks earlier at a café. His detention at Vancouver General Hospital quickly went viral, sparking intense…
British Columbia has seen a dramatic increase in the use of involuntary psychiatric detention over the past decade and a half. According to data analyzed by the BC Ombudsperson, involuntary admissions rose by approximately 71% between 2005/06 and 2016/17, while voluntary admissions stagnated or declined relative to population growth. More recent figures suggest the trend…
Most Canadians assume that if they are detained in a hospital, they still have the right to understand and consent to their treatment. In British Columbia, that assumption is false once someone is certified under the Mental Health Act. The Act contains a provision known as “deemed consent.” This means that anyone detained involuntarily is…
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