Coquitlam mayor hopes for Riverview revival ahead of big announcement

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COQUITLAM (NEWS 1130) – The Mayor of Coquitlam is urging the province to re-open Riverview hospital, but with a new focus on helping the mentally ill rather than locking them up.

This comes a day before Premier John Horgan, BC’s housing minister and the minister of Mental Health and Addictions are set to announce “supports and services for mental-health and addiction issues.” The announcement is planned to be held at the site of the now-closed psychiatric institute.

“We don’t treat mental illness as we did in the past ’cause Riverview was built as an asylum and we don’t do it that way anymore,” says Mayor Richard Stewart, who has spent years lobbying for action. “Such an enormous resource smack dab in the middle of the Lower Mainland –so accessible– is only used for film primarily. We’ve got about a half dozen buildings that are used for services related to mental illness and addictions.”

Stewart –who’s been open about his family’s struggle with mental health issues– says he’s already had several conversations with the premier about re-purposing the 113-year old campus.

“Coquitlam doesn’t have NIMBY on this subject. We want to see the establishment of treatment facilities for the mentally ill and for those who have addictions.”

A facility containing more than 100 beds is already slated to open at Riverview in 2019, but Stewart is hoping that can be fast-tracked to open next year. “I’m hopeful we’ll see an expansion of more beds opened because the fentanyl crisis has created an urgency that we’ve never seen before.”

Stewart believes it makes sense to use that prime real estate as more than a popular film location. “We could really be putting a dent in the challenges we are seeing across the Lower Mainland, across the province with addictions.”

The mayor recently posted another video plea on social media after attending the funeral of a young mentally ill drug addict. He admits his patience is running thin.

“And our family knows that the challenges of mental illness, what can happen if we don’t address it. The two combined are proving fatal four times a day in BC. This is an urgent need.”

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