Province spends $2.7M on new mobile crisis response team in Thunder Bay, Ont.

A new mobile crisis response team is being created in Thunder Bay, Ont., to address the city's mental health and addictions issues.

Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, was in the northwestern Ontario city Friday to announce the province is spending $2.7 million over three years on the pilot program.

The team, which will be called Superior North Specialized Treatment and Alternative Responders (STAR), is expected to launch later this year, Tibollosaid during the announcement.

It will consist of community paramedicine and mental health crisis workers who can provide immediate mental health and addictions support to those in crisis, and options for ongoing care.

The Thunder Bay program is one of three being supported in Ontario through the government's Addictions Recovery Fund, with the others based in Lambton County and Simcoe County.

The purpose, Tibollo explained, is to divert people from the emergency department whenever possible.

"One of the things that I'm a huge advocate for is a continuum of care. That continuum of care starts with providing supports to individuals, low-barrier access points," Tibollo said during Friday's news conference.

"If we do that and we stabilize them and we provide them the wraparound care and supports in our community, our systems will start to come into equilibrium."

The announcement was attended by Shane Muir, chief of Superior North Emergency Medical Services for the City and District of Thunder Bay, mayor Ken Boshcoff, Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Kevin Holland, and police chief Darcy Fleury.

'We need adaptive models'

The STAR team will support individuals in a number of ways, including:

• Offering on-scene interventions, de-escalation and emotional support to help reduce violence.
• Creating a safety plan to help mitigate future crises.
• Connecting people to mental health and addiction services, primary care and community-based support programs.
• Providing transportation to treatment facilities or safe locations, such as safe beds or the city's safe consumption site, Path 525.

Tibollo said this model of care will alleviate pressures on paramedics and police officers, while also easing the strain on emergency rooms.

"Specialized crisis response teams that include first responders and mental health-care professionals are the way forward," he said.

However, Tibollo said he recognizes the need for a northern Ontario lens to be at the forefront of Thunder Bay's strategy.

"I don't think I'll shock anyone when I say that on a number of issues, particularly on mental health and addictions, the needs of northern communities were either misunderstood or ignored for decades by senior levels of government," Tibollo said.

"We need adaptive models. Obviously, one size does not fit all."

Those involved in the pilot program will also be engaging with Indigenous partners to explore how to include an Indigenous liaison on the team, "to ensure cultural competence and safety," says the province's news release.