UCCM Police donates new vehicle to strengthen rapid mental health care and emergency support across Manitoulin Island – Anishinabek News
May 23, 2025
MANITOULIN ISLAND — The Health Sciences North (HSN)’s Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team (MCRRT) is looking forward to providing enhanced emergency mental health services after the United Chiefs & Councils of Manitoulin Anishnaabe Police Service (UCCM Police) donated a dedicated crisis vehicle. The MCRRT is a collaborative initiative between HSN, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), and UCCM Police that pairs police officers with mental health crisis workers to provide immediate, on-site support to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.
“It is a standard civilian vehicle but it is specifically for myself and my work partner to use to assist in the work we do with UCCM Police and the Ontario Provincial Police,” says Pete VanVolkingburgh, mobile crisis worker at HSN, noting that the incidents they attend are often time quite a distance away from each other. “This allows my partner and I to be able to attend the location of the police officers whenever they require us on scene to assist with a call and be able to get there in a manner not requiring police officers to divert from the call to come pick us up or reroute their day. We are able to actually get there fairly seamlessly now because we have a vehicle and are able to actually attend when officers need us.”
