MEDIA RELEASE: The Crisis Centre of BC welcomes the Report on the Budget 2026 Consultation

Vancouver, BC – September 2025  — The Crisis Centre of BC welcomes the Report on the Budget 2026 Consultation and applauds the Committee’s recognition of the urgent need to add a mental health option for 911 callers who are experiencing emotional crisis or distress. 

“Right now, police or ambulance are automatically dispatched to suicide and mental health crisis related calls through 911,” said Stacy Ashton, Executive Director of the Crisis Centre of BC and Chair of the BC Crisis Line Network. “If we divert these calls to crisis lines, our responders can provide immediate emotional support, address the risk of suicide safely, and resolve crisis before it escalates.”

BC’s highly trained crisis responders already provide 24/7 support through established crisis lines, helping people in distress find connection, and hope. Fully 98% of our calls are resolved without the need for police or ambulance. By making crisis lines directly accessible as part of the 911 system, we could save public resources while ensuring people receive the right support at the right time.

The Centre urges the Province to use the momentum of the Budget 2026 recommendations to move forward with a fully integrated crisis response model:

• Establishing mental health crisis lines as the fourth option within 911, alongside police, fire, and ambulance.
• Reducing reliance on costly and often traumatizing emergency interventions in cases where a supportive, phone-based response is sufficient.
• Positioning BC as a national leader in suicide prevention and mental health crisis support by leveraging existing, proven crisis line infrastructure.

“With the right investments, BC can ensure that every person in crisis receives care that is effective, respectful, and life-saving,” added Ashton. “The 911 reforms outlined in this report give us a unique chance to make that vision a reality.”

Media Contact
Stacy Ashton
Executive Director, Crisis Centre of BC
sashton@crisiscentre.bc.ca 

Jeffrey Preiss
Director, Development & Communications
jpreiss@crisiscentre.bc.ca