Police-Encounters-With-People-In-Crisis

15. In spite of the steady growth of the MCIT program, there remain significant areas
of the city without permanent MCIT coverage: 22 and 23 Divisions, comprising all of
Etobicoke, and 53 Division, a large section of central Toronto. These areas of the city
experience high volumes of crisis calls, and often higher volumes than some areas that
are currently serviced by MCIT units. 11
16. In 2014, the TPS is expanding the MCIT program’s geographic coverage on a sixmonth
trial basis, to cover these three remaining divisions. Funding for three more
mental health nurses will provide for three additional teams based out of: St. Joseph’s
Health Centre, which will now cover 22 Division in addition to 11 and 14 Divisions;
Humber River Regional Hospital, which will now cover 23 Division in addition to 12, 13,
and 31 Divisions; and Toronto East General Hospital, which will now cover 53 Division
in addition to 54 and 55 Divisions. Toronto’s expanded MCIT service areas are mapped
in Figure 2.
17. This expansion will provide some MCIT coverage to all areas of Toronto.
However, these three additional teams will only be available four days per week. On
days when they are not available, a single MCIT unit will cover these expanded areas,
which means they may be stretched beyond their capacity. 12 For example, on such days,
the MCIT unit attached to St. Joseph’s Health Centre will have to cover a territory
stretching from the western boundary of Etobicoke to Spadina Avenue in the east, and
from the waterfront to as far north as Eglinton Avenue.
18. MCIT units are on the road for 10-hour shifts. Hours vary depending on the
demand of the community served, but generally fall between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. Each
unit adjusts its hours of operation by analyzing the number of apprehensions under the
Mental Health Act and volume of crisis calls by time of day within the divisions that the
unit covers. 13
19. The MCIT currently responds to approximately 11% of calls categorized by the
TPS as “emotionally disturbed person” (EDP) calls annually. In 2013, TPS officers were
dispatched to 20,550 “EDP” calls, of which MCIT units responded to 2,330. While this
information reflects a period when only 12 of the 17 TPS operational divisions had MCIT
units, and the MCIT will likely respond to more calls as their geographic coverage
expands, the low proportion of calls to which MCIT responded is cause for concern.
20. The low MCIT response volume can be explained by the nature of the MCIT as a
second response, the restriction of these units to certain geographic areas and hours of
operation, and lack of capacity. As the geographic coverage of the MCIT program is
expanded without a corresponding increase in MCIT units, existing MCIT pairs will
spend increased time in transit between calls and less time interacting with people in
crisis. The Review was told by many people, both within and outside the TPS, that
existing MCIT resources are insufficient. If there is one MCIT unit on duty and three
11
Steering Committee, Coordination, supra note 2 at 9.
12
CRICH, MCIT Implementation, supra note 1 at 30.
13
Steering Committee, Coordination, supra note 2 at 13.
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