TORONTO — Livingston Jeffers accompanied his wife Pamelia to the emergency department of an Ontario hospital one night in October 2018, seeking relief for her insomnia and stomach ache. Their grandson dropped them off, believing his grandmother would get the help she needed.

Hours later and tired of waiting, the Black couple, who are both in their 60s, attempted to leave the Lakeridge Health hospital in Ajax, Ont., said their lawyer.

Outside, they were stopped by a nurse, security guards and then two police officers. The nurse thought Pamelia was to be held at the hospital for up to 72 hours to see a psychiatrist, an order known as a Form 1, according to witness statements compiled in a police report. A doctor later told police that Pamelia was exhibiting signs of delusion and paranoia and he was in the process of completing the form.

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Samantha Beattie
Reporter, HuffPost Canada
@samantha_kb