A report exploring Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham’s proposal to create a new emergency service to handle mental health calls says the city doesn’t need to build an entirely new system.
The third-party report released Tuesday recommends the creation of a new “crisis response pathway” for mental health calls that enables 911 calls to be diverted to community-based crisis responders.
Gillingham first floated the idea in 2024 of a fourth service to respond to mental health calls that don’t involve safety concerns requiring a police, paramedic or firefighter presence.
Last December, city council’s executive committee approved a motion for a contract with Pensa Consulting to create a detailed proposal for what was referred to as a “crisis response service.”
The report says the main challenge in Winnipeg is not the absence of services, but lack of integration between existing supports.
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham speaks at a Tuesday news conference. He first proposed the idea in 2024 of a fourth service to respond to mental health calls that don’t involve safety concerns requiring a police, paramedic or firefighter presence. (Arturo Chang/CBC)
The report’s proposed model would have the existing 911 dispatch system divert calls to community-based services.
A limited number of community organizations would respond to calls based on location and specialty.
The report also proposes allowing people to access crisis response services directly through “multiple entry points,” including crisis lines, regional crisis services and “other approved access channels.”
Gillingham said during a Tuesday morning news conference a motion to endorse the proposed model will be put forward to council in September.
He said that model anticipates a partnership with the province, and that he will ask the province to come to the table then.