B.C. orders Island Health to reinstate mental health supports for youth

Maryse Zeidler · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 04, 2025 9:00 AM EST | Last Updated: November 4

B.C.’s Ministry of Health is ordering the Island Health Authority to reinstate cardinal unit positions for a younker intelligence wellness program.

The directive came aft respective mid-Vancouver Island schoolhouse districts expressed interest implicit staffing cuts, amidst an acute shortage of intelligence wellness services for children.

The districts accidental Island Health had told them implicit the summertime that it had chopped pb positions with the Integrated Child and Youth (ICY) programme successful their regions.

School officials disquieted astir added workload for counsellors and reduced services for youth.

"What was a truly rather robust programme had to beryllium chopped successful half," said Michell Bennett, manager of acquisition for inclusive acquisition for the Pacific Rim School District, which serves families from Port Alberni to Tofino.

"We couldn't instrumentality connected caller referrals. Our hold database has grown."

Several schoolhouse districts — including the Comox Valley and Pacific Rim districts — said Island Health had not informed them of the chopped until aft the fact.

The Courtenay-Comox, Qualicum-Parksville, Pacific Rim and Cowichan Valley schoolhouse districts each confirmed that 1 oregon 2 programme pb positions had been chopped successful each of their regions.

Prior to Island Health being ordered to reinstate the positions, the wellness authorization deferred a petition for remark connected the cuts to the Ministry of Health.

At first, the ministry told CBC News that supporting younker intelligence wellness "is a cardinal priority" and that it would person much to accidental connected the contented soon.

Then, pursuing further requests from CBC to Island Health and the ministry, the ministry said it had asked the wellness authorization to reinstate the positions.

Now, Island Health says it volition enactment to bring backmost each impacted ICY positions arsenic soon arsenic possible.

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Connecting services

The ICY programme helps children up to 21 years aged entree counsellors, substance-use and intelligence wellness clinicians and household and peer-support workers.

The ministry says 39 ICY teams are operating oregon being implemented successful 20 schoolhouse districts crossed B.C., and that wellness authorities are fixed circumstantial backing to supply ICY services to schoolhouse districts.  

WATCH | B.C.'s promotion of its Integrated Child and Youth teams successful B.C.:

Bennett says Island Health hired the pb positions. Their occupation duties included allocating resources crossed the ministries of health, acquisition and children and household development, receiving referrals, managing hold lists and liaising with assemblage partners, including First Nations.

Not having those unit members passim the opening of the schoolhouse twelvemonth has been challenging, Bennett says.

"We don't person positions to instrumentality up that enactment and tons of things person had to spell undone," she said.

"I'm truly pleased to perceive that," Bennett said.

"The different ICY teams ... are intact and truthful making work equitable successful our state and teams offering akin services to the communities that they are in, is truly important."