Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Rich, thank you for taking part in our hearing today to discuss your situation in Abbotsford. What you had to say was extremely interesting.
Several of my colleagues around the table spoke to you about mental health. You talked about the difficulty of handling individuals with mental health issues. It's interesting that you talked about that aspect.
During the past weeks or months, several witnesses spoke to us about mental health issues and how the community and police services manage that aspect. My colleagues went to several Canadian cities and observed that this was a recurring problem. It is interesting to hear your point of view and to have you raise this issue with our committee.
Several police services in the country and elsewhere in the world work with various community organizations and the health services in their region. How do things work in Abbotsford? Do you work in partnership with the various stakeholders from community services? You stated that civilians work with you at this time to answer certain calls. Do these civilians come from community organizations, or from the health field?