He warned Doug Ford’s government this hospital locks people in ‘horrific’ isolation. The province called one hospital exec — then did nothing
2026-08-31 from thestar.com/
Psychiatrist Dr. John Bradford warned the province in 2018 about “horrific conditions” at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care.
This story is part of 20 Years in Isolation, the Star’s ongoing investigation into the use of psychiatric seclusion at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care. The Star’s initial four-part series on the hospital’s practices has been met with calls for an independent review of Ontario’s mental health system.
The Ontario government has been aware for at least eight years of serious concerns about a psychiatric hospital’s practice of keeping patients in isolation for prolonged periods of time, the Star has learned — a practice that was recently found to be akin to torture.
Documents filed in a proposed class action lawsuit also reveal that when the Ministry of Health looked into Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care’s use of long-term seclusion, officials did not visit the facility and spoke to only one hospital executive over the phone before deciding no further action was necessary.
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