UNITY — Each week, many RCMP detachments share the calls they received with local media outlets. In each of those reports, there is usually one type of call that frequently appears on those lists: the Mental Health Act calls.
In 2025, the Unity detachment had 86 occurrences that were directly related to mental health. These occurrences were received from various individuals: family, friends, concerned professionals, the person themselves, or from interactions with the police. While each interaction does not always lead to apprehension, it does lead to an initial analysis by the responding members on whether there needs to be a response under the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) of Saskatchewan.
Section 20 of the MHSA says, “A peace officer may apprehend a person without warrant and convey that person as soon as is reasonable practicable to a place where he or she may be examined by a physician if the peace officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the person is: (a) suffering from a mental disorder: and (b) likely to cause harm to himself or herself or to others or to suffer substantial mental or physical deterioration if he or she is not detained in a mental health centre."
“The word ‘and’ between the two criteria is important, as we need to show that the individual is suffering from a mental disorder AND likely to cause harm or suffer personal deterioration,” said Sgt. Chris Neufeld of the Unity RCMP detachment.
While there are times when it is clear a person needs help and that they need to be apprehended for an assessment, there are occasions when the responding members rely on health professionals for assistance.
“The RCMP has multiple mental health professionals available to us through our dispatch centre in Regina. When appropriate, and with the consent of the individual, we provide a private space where the mental health professional can talk to the individual on the phone, and determine whether they need to be transported to a mental health facility or if the concerns can be mitigated in other ways,” added Neufeld. Oftentimes, the mental health professionals set up follow-up calls with the individuals later on."
In cases where the individual needs further assessment by a physician, local RCMP detachments will transport the individual to the Battleford Union Hospital, where there are physicians who are trained to make a proper assessment. In cases where drugs or alcohol are involved, individuals may be held in an RCMP facility prior to an assessment at the request of the physician to ensure a proper assessment can be done.
“Being brought before a physician does not guarantee that the individual will be held. In those cases, we bring the individual back to the area, unless there are criminal charges, and a need to hold for court,” said Neufeld.
