Canadian police welcome the announcement that a new Mental Health Commission will develop a national strategy for addressing mental health issues. "Probably no one is more aware than police officers of the tragedy that untreated mental illness brings about,” said Chief Terry Coleman. “We are optimistic that this new Commission will be the first of many steps toward decreasing the stigma of mental illness, and of providing much needed care."
Phyllis Vine 
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| August 9, 2009 8:25 AM
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Do you know if the RCMP are trained differently in Alberta than in the other provinces? Is this a national or provincial policy?
Posted by Phyllis Vine | August 9, 2009 8:25 AM
I can say that the Canadian Police and R.C.M.P. have been very kind and thoughtful when dealing with my mental illness. Once i was heading for the Horseshoe Canyon in Alberta to kill myself, and an R.C.M.P. officer took my knife and drugs away, talked to me for hours and called Victim's Assistance. Another time I shot myself with a Starter Pistol, resulting in a burn, and a young policeman took the weapon and again spoke to me at length in the hospital ER. I think the police could be educated however in the various mental illness's and how to approach someone with an illness, who has such a different reality. Still, without the help of the police, I might not have made it through to my recovery as I did.Love Mrs. Lou Ross-Johns
Posted by Mrs. Lou Ross-Johns | August 8, 2009 10:56 PM