Some people facing mental health and addiction challenges may require inpatient treatment at a hospital.
A person’s physician may refer them to a hospital for inpatient treatment. In crisis situations, the person may be taken to the hospital by the emergency services, such as police.
Many hospitals in Ontario provide inpatient mental health and addictions treatment. However, only those which are “Schedule 1” hospitals under Ontario’s Mental Health Act can admit people involuntarily, that is, without their consent. To be admitted involuntarily, a physician must determine that the person meets the criteria under the Mental Health Act.
The Health Care Consent Act governs when a person can be treated. Even if a person is admitted involuntarily to a psychiatric facility, they cannot be treated without their consent or the consent of a substitute decision maker in a non emergency situation.
After a person has been admitted to hospital, they will work with their physician to determine an appropriate plan of treatment.
After discharge from hospital, a person may continue to receive follow-up services through a hospital outpatient clinic. The person may also be referred to community based services and supports.
The information provided below is to help individuals identify where psychiatric facilities and hospitals are.
Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office (PPAO)
Physicians in designated Schedule 1 mental health facilities can change a patient’s legal status. Under the Mental Health Act, a doctor must contact a rights adviser to meet with the patient whose legal status has changed. The Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office (PPAO) a program under the Ministry of Health, is designated by the Schedule 1 facility/hospital to provide rights advice as required under the Mental Health Act to:
patients in Schedule 1 facilities/hospitals/units whose legal status has changed
persons in the community being considered for the issuance/renewal of Community Treatment Orders and their Substitute Decision-Makers (SDM), if any
The PPAO provides the only Minister-approved rights adviser training and certification under the Mental Health Act. Rights advisers do not work for the hospital, and the service they provide is free and confidential.
Designated psychiatric facilities under the Mental Health Act
Schedule 1
The following health facilities are designated as Schedule 1 psychiatric facilities.
Lakeridge Health – Ajax and Pickering Health Centre site
Regional Treatment Centre (Ontario) Site
Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre
Quinte Healthcare Corporation – Belleville General
William Osler Health Centre – Brampton Civic Hospital
The Brantford General Hospital
Brockville General Hospital
Royal Ottawa Health Care Group – Brockville Mental Health Centre – including the Forensic Treatment Unit
St. Lawrence Valley Correctional and Treatment Centre, Secure Treatment Unit
Joseph Brant Hospital
Cambridge Memorial Hospital
Chatham-Kent Health Alliance – Chatham site
Cornwall Community Hospital/Hôpital communautaire de Cornwall
Alexandra Marine and General Hospital
Homewood Health Centre Inc.
Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation
Hamilton General Hospital Site
McMaster University Medical Centre Site
Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre Site
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton
West 5th Campus
Charlton Campus
Lake of the Woods District Hospital
Providence Care Centre: Providence Care HospitalMental
Kingston Health Sciences Centre – Kingston General Hospital Site
Grand River Hospital Corporation
Kitchener-Waterloo Site
Freeport Site
Ross Memorial Hospital
St. Joseph's Health Care London, Parkwood Institute, Mental Health Care Building
London Health Sciences Centre
University Campus
Victoria Campus
Oak Valley Health – Markham Stouffville Hospital
Trillium Health Partners
Credit Valley Hospital
Mississauga Hospital
Southlake Regional Health Centre – Newmarket site
North Bay Regional Health Centre – North Bay site
Halton Healthcare Services Corporation – Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital
Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital
Lakeridge Health – Oshawa site
Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario – Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre/ Centre hospitalier pour enfants de l’est l’Ontario-Centre de traitment pour enfants d’Ottawa
Hôpital Montfort
Queensway Carleton Hospital
Royal Ottawa Health Care Group – Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre
The Ottawa Hospital
Civic Campus
General Campus
Grey Bruce Health Services – Owen Sound Site
Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care (main site)
Peterborough Regional Health Centre – Hospital Drive Site
Niagara Health System – St. Catharines Site
St. Joseph's Health Care London – Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care
St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital
Bluewater Health – Sarnia site
Sault Area Hospital
Stratford General Hospital
North Bay Regional Health Centre (Kirkwood Place)
Health Sciences North – Ramsey Lake Health Centre
St. Joseph's Care Group – St. Joseph’s Hospital
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
Timmins & District Hospital/ L’Hopital De Timmins et Du District
Scarborough Health Network
General site
Birchmount site
Centenary site
North York General Hospital – General Site
Humber River Health – Humber River Hospital
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Baycrest Hospital
William Osler Health Centre – Etobicoke General Hospital
Sinai Health System – Mount Sinai Hospital
Unity Health Toronto
St. Joseph's Health Centre
St. Michael's Hospital
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre – Bayview Campus
The Toronto East General and Orthopaedic Hospital Inc. – Michael Garron Hospital
University Health Network
Toronto General Hospital
Toronto Western Hospital
Princess Margaret Hospital
Mackenzie Health – Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital
Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare – Tayfour Campus
Windsor Regional Hospital
Maryvale Site
Ouellette Site
Woodstock Hospital
Schedule 2
The following health facilities are designated as Schedule 2 psychiatric facilities.
Schedule 2 psychiatric facilities are exempt from the requirement to provide in-patient services under paragraph 1 of subsection 4(1) of Ontario Regulation 741 (as amended.)
Muskoka Algonquin Health Care – South Muskoka Memorial Hospital
Community Mental Health Clinic
Kingston Health Sciences Centre – Hotel Dieu Hospital
Niagara Health System – Greater Niagara General Hospital
Pembroke General Hospital Inc.
North of Superior Community Mental Health Program Corporation
The Hospital for Sick Children
Trillium Health Partners – Queensway Health Centre
Women’s College Hospital
Niagara Health System – Welland County General Hospital
Schedule 3
The following health facilities are designated as Schedule 3 psychiatric facilities.
Schedule 3 psychiatric facilities are exempt from the requirement to provide out-patient services under paragraph 2 of subsection 4(1) of Ontario Regulation 741 (as amended.)
Homewood Health Centre Inc.
St. Lawrence Valley Correctional and Treatment Centre, Secure Treatment Unit
Designated hospitals under the Criminal Code and Youth Criminal Justice Act
Designated Hospitals under Part XX.1 / Mental Disorder of the Criminal Code (Canada)
Royal Ottawa Health Care Group – Brockville Mental Health Centre
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton – West 5th Campus
Providence Care Centre – Providence Care Hospital
North Bay Regional Health Centre – North Bay site
Royal Ottawa Health Care Group – Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre
Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care (main site)
St. Joseph's Health Care London – Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
Designated Hospitals under Part XX.1 / Mental Disorder of the Criminal Code (Canada) and the Youth Criminal Justice Act