The City of New Westminster’s crises response pilot project is getting an infusion of cash from the federal government.
The city has been awarded $1,466,230 from Health Canada’s emergency treatment fund for its two-year pilot crises response pilot project, which is working to address the three concurrent and inter-related crises of homelessness, mental health, and substance use.
Mayor Patrick Johnstone said New Westminster was the only city in British Columbia to be awarded a grant through Health Canada's emergency treatment fund.
“It's a significant thing for the city, because I think it demonstrates confidence from the federal government in our approach to the health crises that are impacting every community across Canada,” he said at Monday night’s council meeting. “They recognize this as a challenge across Canada, and they set up this fund specifically to identify cities that were taking a proactive approach, were taking a leadership approach, and were bringing innovative ways to address this challenge.”
At its March 10 meeting, council received a staff report about the federal funding announcement for the pilot project.
Johnstone thanked staff for putting together the grant application, noting the city had a tight timeline for applying. He also acknowledged the efforts of staff who developed the crises response pilot project.
“The work that staff did to bring together a really comprehensive plan, an evidence-based plan, and especially the work that we're doing also to track our progress in that plan and report back were all things that Health Canada identified as reasons why we were successful in receiving this grant,” he said.
According to Johnstone, some of the funds in the grant will be used to offset the city’s costs for paying for the pilot project.
“The other part of the grant is actually going to allow us to expand our services for longer hours so we can provide more outreach and more services to people who need support in the city,” he said. “So, I think it's a good news story on both sides.”
Johnstone told council the crises response pilot project, and some of the actions included in the initiative, were one of the topics discussed when he met with Health Minister Josie Osborne last week. He said the province recognizes the value of the pilot project and is interested in collaborating with the city.
According to a staff report, the intent of the emergency treatment fund is to provide urgent, targeted funding to municipalities and Indigenous communities to support rapid responses to the overdose crisis. The report said the city’s submission had five components:
- Crisis response pilot project outreach — $500,000 per year. This component of the pilot project seeks to connect and build relations and trust with people who are unhoused, as well as those who are living with substance use and mental health issues through positive interactions. It also includes the provision of items like food and clothing and referrals to other services.
- Expansion of the outreach component, which is to be provided by a non-profit service provider — $200,000 per year. This would fund expanded outreach services from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. on weekdays and 3:30 to 10:30 p.m. on statutory holidays and weekends.
- Protective public measures — $120,000 per year. This would fund contacted biohazardous waste and collection services to reduce public health risks associated with discarded needles, sharps, and other drug paraphernalia.
- Equipment, supplies, and training — $40,000 per year.
- Collaborative activities — $25,000 per year. This would include up to four meetings per year with faith-based, non-profit, and provincial organizations and teams to discuss opportunities, needs and gaps related to the three crises, as well as discussions about initiating a situation table or a similar approach to facilitating enhanced case management and information sharing.
According to the staff report, Health Canada approved $0.58 million for the period from August 2024 to March 2025 and $0.89 million for April 2025 to March 2026.
