'It's a needed service': Kirkland Lake crisis response team gets $120K

KIRKLAND LAKE - A program pairing police officers with mental health workers to respond to calls is getting provincial cash. 

At a regular Kirkland Lake council meeting on Tuesday (Jan. 9), Shawn LeCarte, director of corporate services, talked about the 2023-2024 mobile crisis response team (MRCT) enhancement grant given to the town.

The Ministry of Solicitor General grant is providing $120,000 — the maximum funding available for 2023-24 — for the program in Kirkland Lake.

Mobile crisis response teams consist of police officers and crisis workers working together to respond to complex situations where mental health or addictions may be a factor. 

The Kirkland Lake cash, which was announced in October, will flow through the Canadian Mental Health Association’s (CMHA) Cochrane-Timiskaming's office in Kirkland Lake.  It supports the local MCRT by funding 1.5 fulltime equivalent mental health workers of the two fulltime equivalent dedicated under the MCRT for 2023-2024.

RELATED: Northern crisis response teams receive provincial funding

The funding was available to municipal and First Nation police services, as well as OPP detachments with an existing MCRT. The Kirkland Lake OPP Detachment has operated an MCRT since April 2021.

Coun. Rick Owen said it’s a very important service.

“As someone who went in a mental health crisis and did phone the OPP, I realize the importance of having a social worker come along with the OPP to answer those calls. It's done in other communities,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the only thing I would like but we can't do it because the size, is often the uniform intimidates someone who's in a mental health crisis because they have often had negative interactions with police in the past. But unfortunately, we don't have the staff to ensure that non-uniformed officer responds.”

That was something he dealt with when he was a reporter, Owen said.

“I was able to get a detective to go as opposed to a uniform person,” he said.

“But, I'm all in favour of this. It's a needed service. It pays dividends and it keeps people out of jail that shouldn't be in jail. People need mental health care. They don't need a cell. So, it’s important.”