B.C. NDP pledges 75 involuntary care spaces at Okanagan correctional facility

The B.C. NDP has pledged up to $90 million to open 75 involuntary care spaces at the Okanagan Correctional Centre in Oliver if it forms government in the provincial election, which is eight days away. NDP candidates Loyal Wooldridge (Kelowna Centre), Niki Sharma (Vancouver-Hastings), Binny Boparai (Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream), Harwinder Sandhu (Vernon-Lumby) and Tina Lee (Penticton-Summerland) announced the plan Friday, Oct. 16, at Kerry Park in downtown Kelowna.

The spaces would serve people experiencing severe mental health and addiction challenges alongside complex brain injuries. The B.C. NDP said people living with these concurrent conditions may not be able to seek help and need specialized, compassionate care. Wooldridge said the party had heard from residents tired of seeing street disorder and recognized that vulnerable people need care and connection to services.

Wooldridge, who served two terms as a Kelowna city councillor, said he had taken part in discussions about proposing the Oliver facility to higher levels of government. He praised regional mayors and First Nations leaders for preparing the Okanagan facility to be used as an involuntary care centre. Kelowna’s incumbent mayor, Tom Dyas, attended Friday’s announcement. Wooldridge said the site was chosen because space is available and it could be brought online fastest; building a different facility from the ground up would take many years. He also praised regional mayors for advancing the option.

The 75 spaces are expected to open in early 2028. The proposed amount of up to $90 million is part of the NDP’s current operating plan. Sharma said the proposal is part of a provincewide plan to add more compassionate involuntary care. She said professionals would closely monitor people receiving care to ensure they are stabilized and supported. She added that the real measure of success would be a noticeable difference on the streets where people live. Sharma said many people are concerned, but compassionate outcomes are possible for people suffering now.

Involuntary care facilities currently operate in Surrey and Maple Ridge. A second facility is expected to open in Surrey, and another is planned for Prince George.

Soon after the announcement, Conservative candidates Kristina Loewen and Gavin Dew, running in Kelowna Centre and Kelowna-Mission respectively, said in an email that they welcomed the proposed spaces at the Okanagan Correctional Centre but believed they should have been created years ago. Dew said they welcomed the commitment but argued it was not David Eby’s idea, describing it as a practical, common-sense solution from local leaders tired of seeing people suffer while existing facilities sat underused. Loewen said there was nothing compassionate about leaving someone with severe addiction or mental illness on the street, or leaving their family powerless to help. She said municipal leaders, health-care professionals and families across the Okanagan had been saying this for years, as had her side, and that she was glad David Eby was finally listening. She added that the change should not have taken an election campaign.