Refusal Campaign - Healthcare Workers Petition
Healthcare workers say NO to carceral and coercive care in disheartening expansions to involuntary treatment in British Columbia.
Since March 2025, we have called upon physicians and nurse practitioners in BC to unite with our campaign to refuse to certify patients under the BC Mental Health Act (BC MHA) for substance use disorders. We have also called on healthcare workers more generally such as registered nurses, counsellors, social workers, hospital staff, dieticians, and personal support workers, to refuse to endorse this form of involuntary treatment in their respective case management and care consulting roles, as well as refuse the carceral ideology that involuntary treatment is a form of care.
Read the statement endorsed by 17 local organizations in condemning these proposals here:
Read more about involuntary treatment as a form of carceral eugenics here
Watch the press release from December 1, 2025 releasing the campaign here
This campaign is organized by Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Care Not Cops and Northern Health Solidarity.
Medical doctors and nurse practitioners who refuse to certify patients under the BC MHA, when the sole “disorder of mind” causing their presentation is a substance use disorder:
Steven Griffith-Cochrane, MD - Medical Doctor
Kate Mehaffey, MD - Medical Doctor
Meara Tubman-Broeren, MD - Medical Doctor
Lindsey Lytle, MD - Medical Doctor
Eva Hemmerich, MD - Medical Doctor
Sara Lynskey, MD - Medical Doctor
Brianna Crighton, MD - Medical Doctor
Adrian Eoin Edgar, MD - Medical Doctor
Fiona Scanlan, MD - Medical Doctor
Kelsey Roden, MD - Medical Doctor
Amber Kelsall, NP - Nurse Practitioner
Mei-ling Wiedmeyer, MD - Medical Doctor
Justina Doerksen, NP - Nurse Practitioner
Bryce Koch, NP - Nurse Practitioner
Jessica Tamura-Wells, MD - Medical Doctor
Neil Webb, MD - Medical Doctor
Katherine Lam, MD - Medical Doctor
Josh Levin, MD - Medical Doctor
Krista Loewen, MD - Medical Doctor
Jessie Flear, MD - Medical Doctor
P Davies, MD - Medical Doctor
Kevin Mitchell, MD - Medical Doctor
Nora Penty, MD - Medical Doctor
Amanda Whitten, MD - Medical Doctor
Kimberley Chang, MD - Medical Doctor
Tammy Mae McLean, NP - Nurse Practitioner
Torrance Oravec, MD - Medical Doctor
Rita Wakelin, MD - Medical Doctor
Alex Marshall, NP - Nurse Practitioner
Ryan Herriot, MD - Medical Doctor
Kabisha Velauthapillai, MD - Medical Doctor
Kate Hodgson, NP - Nurse Practitioner
Bilal Bagha, MD - Medical Doctor
Jessica Wilder, MD - Medical Doctor
Elizabeth Plant, MD - Medical Doctor
Marcus Barron, MD - Medical Doctor
Jill Wiwcharuk, MD - Medical Doctor
Krysta-Leigh Willett, MD - Medical Doctor
Eric Butler, MD - Medical Doctor
Bethany Ricker, MD - Medical Doctor
Keren Mitchell, NP - Nurse Practitioner
Paula Dubois, MD - Medical Doctor
Healthcare workers more generally in BC who oppose proposals around expanding involuntary treatment and affirm their resistance to the criminalization and detainment of poor/unhoused, often racialized, disabled, mentally ill, people and people who use drugs (PWUD) under the guise of care.
Courtney Blake, Registered Nurse, RN
Robin Long, Registered Nurse, RN
Joanne Hall, Registered Nurse, RN
Sydney Illerbrun, Registered Nurse, RN
Courtney Amoraal, Registered Nurse, RN
Bridget Simpson, Registered Nurse, RN
Amanda Pheeney, Registered Nurse, RN
Mitch Rollins, Registered Nurse, RN
Cecilia Cabalo, Registered Nurse, RN
Kristen Wade, Registered Nurse, RN, Clinical Coordinator
Danielle Lee, Registered Nurse, RN, BSN
Katy Bredell, Nursing Student (BSN)
Shervin Souzanchi, Nursing student
Lindsay Atkinson, Community HCA/ RN student
Sarah Du Bois, Registered Nurse
Brooke Bianchi, Registered Nurse, RN
Jessica Cowen, Registered Nurse, RN
Ben Fussell, Registered Nurse, RN
Michelle Miller, Retired Registered Nurse, RN
Madeline Edmeston, Nursing student (RN)
Ray Hansen, Registered Nurse, RNc
Vera Caine, Registered Nurse, RN
Elizabeth Dogherty, Registered Nurse, RN
Luke Erickson, Registered Nurse, RN
Sarah Lovegrove, Registered Nurse, RN
Brianna-Robin Lis, Registered Nurse, RN
Marissa Hoodikoff, Registered Nurse, RN
Torie Beram, Registered Nurse, RN
Kailin Goodwin, Registered Psychiatric Nurse
Jennifer Quesnelle, Registered Nurse, RN
Ty Wright, Registered Nurse, RN
Alissa Bates, Registered Nurse, RN
Sierra Rowat, Outreach worker with Vancouver coastal health, Student Nurse
Blake Edwards, Outreach Worker and Student Nurse
Sheila Kalina, Registered Nurse, RN(c)
Sidney Reed Adams, Registered Nurse, RN
Lee Gangbar, Registered Nurse, RN
Amanda Pheeney, Registered Nurse, RN, Primary Care
Caroline, Nurse
Tessa Whitehouse, Registered Nurse, RN
Kerre king, Registered Nurse, RN
Rebecca Kensley, Register nurse, emergency specialty
Meghan McCusker, Licensed Practical Nurse, LPN
Bradley Bachmeier, Nursing Student, Certified Medical Laboratory Assistant
Karissa Noonan, Licensed Practical Nurse, LPN
Celena Saayman, BSN student
Doreen Combs, Registered Nurse, RN
Sally Kupp, Registered Nurse, RN
Suzanne Biggs, Former registered nurse
Tracy Brace, Registered Psychiatric Nurse
Caitlin (Caitie) Zukowski, Registered Nurse (Certified Practice)
Celina Waters, Registered Nurse Student
Victoria Kuefler, Registered Nurse with Certified Practice
Kerrie Miller, Registered Nurse, BscN
Naomi de Vette, BSN Student
Jade Cameron, Mental Health Nurse
Taiva Tegler, Registered Nurse, RNc
Sierra Rowat, Student Nurse
Dan Korotchenko, Registered Nurse, RN
Abby Rolston, Registered Nurse, RN
Simone Page, Licensed Practical Nurse, LPN
Katie Hunter, Registered Nurse, RN
Carrie Mae Garber, BScN, soon to be RN
John Barr, Registered Nurse, RN
Tim Parizeau, Registered Nurse, RN
Clare Fletcher, Registered Nurse, RN
Karly Fennell, Registered Psychiatric Nurse
Kelli Stajduhar, Registered Nurse, RN, and PHD
Nicholas Matsuba, Medical (MD) Student
Elaine Hu, Medical student
Archan Dave, Medical student
Abby McCluskey, Medical Student
Julia Parschauer, Pharmacist
Rachel Moss, Clinical Pharmacist
Leah Isherwood, Epidemiologist
Mackenzie Churchill, Registered Midwife
Ashleigh Eaton, Registered Clinical Counsellor
Linda Lin, Registered clinical counsellor
Jessica Bourgeois, Studying EMR future paramedic
Miriam Sherman, Paramedic, Mental Health & Substance Use Crisis Counselor
Aaron Bailey, EMR Emergency Medical Responder, PhD Student -Social Dimensions of Health
Safder Raza, Primary Care Paramedic
Sakura Rashidi, Dietetics Student
Shaun MacDonald, Registered Clinical Counsellor
Michael Johnston, Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)
Alex Schiebel, Counsellor
Michael Jacobson-Weston, Addiction and Trauma counsellor
Myra Murias, Mental Health counsellor
Justin Sawyer, Clinical counsellor
Sarah Iannone, Registered Clinical Counsellor
Ismay Macklin, Withdrawal Management Counsellor
Xuan Xu Wang, Clinical Counsellor
Helen Thomas, Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)
Vic Ord, Social Worker, MSW
Florence Ng, Social Work Student
Flora Pagan, Social Worker
Pamela LF, Social Worker
Linden Lalonde, Social Worker
Jenn Breau, Social Worker
Mark Piron, Social Worker
D Carr, Social Worker
Cameron Larson, Registered Social Worker
Navi Dasanjh, Social Worker, RSW
Nicole Siemens, Registered Social Worker, RSW
Jacquie Brown, Registered Social Worker, RSW, MSW
Cora Bilsker, Registered Social Worker
Wendy Pitt-Brooke, Social Worker, MSW RSW
Benjamin Ingoldsby, Outreach worker in healthcare setting and BSW student
Sarah Troffe, Registered social worker
Kathryn Rachel Rebalkin, Social Worker
Olivander Day, Counsellor/Social Worker
Kara Schultz, Social Worker, MSW
Sunny Qiu, Social Worker
Jake Seaby Palmour, Social Worker/Counsellor (otasahkew/masinahikisis)
Yassie Pirani, Social worker
Jacque Brown, Social Worker - RSW MSW
Beshele Caron, Social Worker
Molly Miller, Registered Social Worker
Megan Lawrence, Social Service Worker
Adda Dostal, Social worker
Sofia Mondragon, Social service worker
Jennifer Multani, Bachelor of Social Work BSW Student
Tyson Singh, Social Worker
Sunny Manhas, Social Worker, RSW/MSW
Jenn McDermid, Social Worker, RSW
Jacqueline LeMaistre, Social services
Haley Mohan, BSW Student, works at Regulated Access to Drug Support
Alex Klepper, BSW Student
Ayan Salad, Social Worker, RSW, MSW
Madeline Boloten, Social Work Student
Kirby Way, Occupational Therapist
Aiyana Chauhan-Kendrick, Occupational therapy assistant
Leslie Sayer, Occupational therapist
Elaine Durand, Occupational Therapist
Susan Jennifer Steeg, Occupational therapist
Andrea McQuade, MACP Candidate / Registered Clinical Counsellor, RCC
John Kalina, Physiotherapist
Sierra Kemp, Outreach Worker
Kerri Guelke, Outreach Worker
Linda James, Outreach worker
Nicole Payer, Outreach Worker
Siobhan Fox, Outreach Worker
Brittany Pallett, Assistant Team Lead of Outreach Team
Galen Hazel Taylor Jones, Allied health, outreach worker with a health authority
Melissa Dreyer, Peer Engagement Leader for Perinatal, MSHU
Cameron Van der Sloot, Health Clinic administration management
Mark William Ng Shun, Community Liaison Worker/Mental Health Worker
Hollaye Mcfarlen, Nurse Educator
Rebecca vandekuyt, Health care aide
Faiza Khalil, Care Coordinator, RCC
Eliza McCullough, Social housing Women’s Resource Worker
Melissa Wagner, RCA
Clio Lake, Public Health Advocate
Alexis Aikenhead, Registered Massage Therapist, RMT
Nathaniel Canuel, Mental Health Social Housing
Christie Potter, Mental Health Support Worker
Victoria Philibert, Research ethics at Island Health.
Amanda Poon, MBA
Jodie Bittner, Addiction mental health worker and crisis responder
Darlana Treloar, Support Worker at OPS
Keiana Mayer, HCAP - Home Care Support
Sapha Habibi, Voluntary inpatient treatment provider & interventionist
Chris Markevich, Harm Reduction Worker
Bryce Willison, Respiratory Therapy student
Brittany Alenius, Executive Director of a mental health and substance use organization
Daryl-Lynn Tarnutzer, Mental health worker
Leah Rainey, Registered Massage Therapist
Shauna Russell, Mental health- Resident Support Worker
Ryan Jarman, Mental Health Worker, Peer Researcher
Joshua Dalmann, Lab Technician and Masters of Public Health MPH student
Kanna, Care Coordinator
Lana Fox, Allied health
Tammy Gogolin, Mental health worker
Natalie Kimpton, MTA, Music and recreation therapist
Lauren Rumiel, Mental and substance use youth case manager
Olivia Brown, Addictions Support Worker
Shona Mockford, Program Coordinator at a youth recovery program
Sage Wakefield, Community health worker
Sara Neilson, Harm Reductionist
Caitlin Donna Krause, Health Care Case Manager/Advocate
Zelda Sun, Psychological assessment services
Cassie Van Camp, Addictions Medicine Coordinator
Briana Barrett, Certified Medical Office Assistant and Acupuncture Student
Gregory Brown, Physiotherapist
Carolyn J Sharma, Registered Care Aid
Crystal Briggeman, Front line shelter worker
Emily Wriglesworth, Certified Child Life Specialist, CCLS
Justin Berger, Mental Health Support Worker, Registered Art Therapist
Rick Forgo, Mental Health and Substance Use Outreach
Mysty Mayer, Care Aide
Kristi Devenne, Mental Health and Substance Use Worker