Warning: This story contains details of suicide and may be of concern to those who know someone affected by suicide.
The leadership of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) has held an emergency meeting with federal officials following a recent spate of suicides and unexplained deaths among young people on the northwestern Ontario First Nation.
A meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday to discuss the crisis and consider solutions included members of the NAN executive committee, Northern Ontario chiefs and health experts, and Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu. Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Chief Minister Cindy Woodhouse and Ontario Regional Director Glen Hare also attended.
NAN Chief Executive Alvin Fiddler cited 13 recent deaths, including the suicide of a 12-year-old, and said the magnitude of the crisis was overwhelming the community’s ability to respond and support its members.
“Our people are suffering, and if we don’t take meaningful collective action soon, many more lives may be needlessly lost,” Fidler said in a statement.
Over the past two months, the community has dealt with a number of sudden deaths, including:
- The suicide of a 12-year-old boy in Sachigo Lake First Nation on January 15th.
- A 20-year-old boy committed suicide on Deer Lake First Nation in January.
- Between December 2023 and January 2024, nine people died on the Kitchinumaikoosib Ininuug First Nation.
- mackenzie moonias14 years old, from the Neskantaga First Nation, the body was found in thunder bay December 18th.
- jenna ostberg21, of Bearskin Lake First Nation, died. in thunder bay December 30th.
Fidler said Kingfisher Lake First Nation, Sachigo Lake First Nation and Deer Lake First Nation also have disproportionately high numbers of suicides and attempts.
NAN represents 49 Treaty 9 and Treaty 5 First Nations in northern Ontario, a landmass that covers two-thirds of the province.
“It pains me to be here today knowing that so many people who have returned to my community are considering suicide,” Kashechewan First Nation Chief Gaius Wesley said. “As the chief, I work as a police officer, a counselor, and a drug enforcement officer.” ”
Hajdu, R-Thunder Bay-Superior North, said the meeting in Ottawa discussed federal support for affected countries.
Children as young as 12 are taking their own lives.
We held a meeting today with our treaty partners on the mental health crisis across NAN.
It is unfortunate that the Minister of Ontario is absent.
We are. Let’s talk about it…#BellLetsTalk @JustinTrudeau @fordnation pic.twitter.com/E4eDez16Ac
Hajdu said the federal government has been working with NAN since 2017 through its Choose Life program to fast-track funding proposals for child and youth mental health services with a focus on prevention.
“But response is different from prevention,” she says. “I think this program has been essential in helping so many children, but clearly something has gone wrong in that some children are not getting the sense of security that it provides. I haven’t been.”
The program has received about $563 million in funding over the past few years, Haju said.
“At some point, it’s important to hear from the young people themselves about what is and isn’t working for Choose Life and whether there are other support elements they need.”
Mental health support alone is not enough to solve the Indigenous suicide crisis, said Sol Mamakwa, NDP MP for Keewetinoon, which includes the region’s remote fly-in communities.
Mamakwa said she attended many funerals in the community while riding, including the recent funeral of an 11-year-old girl in her local Kingfisher Lake First Nation community.
Social determinants of health such as housing, environment, education, and socio-economic factors all influence mental health. He said it’s no surprise that many young people living in indigenous communities who don’t have access to drinking water, safe housing or adequate schools experience depression as a result of their circumstances.
“Why don’t all indigenous peoples have high schools? Why don’t they have proper hospitals?” Mamakwa said. “For example, if we are underfunded and cannot provide the resources to ensure clean drinking water, that impacts mental health.”
Mamakwa said many of the services for young people are located far from urban centers, so they either skip or have to fly for care. It is said that there is. He said Indigenous people facing a suicidal crisis needed access to services closer to home.
“It is very important that we devise some strategies and processes and start creating Indigenous-led health plans for our respective populations. [community] Because they are the ones who know what needs to be done,” Mamakwa said.
“All we need is to provide support and resources…instead of having a big facility in Thunder Bay or something like that.”
Mr Mamakwa said the previous NAN state of emergency in 2016 received funding from the province and had a measurable impact on the community, but this time he was not seeking provincial aid.
Ontario’s ministers were absent from Wednesday’s emergency meeting, which Mamakwa and Hadju criticized, and Fidler pointed out on X (formerly Twitter).
“It’s business as usual while our communities and nation bury people,” Mamakwa said.
If you or someone you know is struggling, seek help from:
This guide is Addiction and Mental Health Center Learn how to talk about suicide to someone you care about.
