British Columbia passes the "Insane Asylums Act."

1873 British Columbia’s first legislation addressing mental illness, the Insane Asylums Act, was passed by the provincial legislature in 1873. According to this Act, persons deemed to be “lunatics” could be committed to an insane asylum upon certificates issued by doctors who examined the patient in each other’s presence.

This was the principal mental health law in the province until 1897, when the Hospitals for the Insane Act was enacted.

-Caroline Lyster

British Columbia passes the "Insane Asylums Act."

1873 British Columbia’s first legislation addressing mental illness, the Insane Asylums Act, was passed by the provincial legislature in 1873. According to this Act, persons deemed to be “lunatics” could be committed to an insane asylum upon certificates issued by doctors who examined the patient in each other’s presence.

This was the principal mental health law in the province until 1897, when the Hospitals for the Insane Act was enacted.

-Caroline Lyster