The mental health system continues to be severely underfunded in Attawapiskat in the wake of a suicide epidemic, a member recently said in the Ontario legislature. Timmins-James Bay MPP Gilles Bisson drew attention to the mental health crisis in the First Nations community, noting there is one mental health worker for about 1,700 people in Attawapiskat and one worker at the Weeneebayko Hospital to assist children and youth. Approximately 100 people attempted suicide from last September to April in Attawapiskat.
Mental health for those in First Nations communities was front of mind with June serving as National Aboriginal History Month.
Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell backed a request for a coroner’s inquest into the April death of a 14-year-old girl. Azraya Ackabee-Kokopenace walked away from a hospital in Kenora and was found dead two days later. She had been experiencing mental health issues since the death of her brother, Calvin Kokopenace, in 2014.
Additionally, Kitchener-Centre MPP Daiene Vernile said the LGBTQ community experiences higher rates of homelessness, violence and harassment in schools than other young people. Attorney General Madeleine Meilleur said the government is providing up to $1.5 million in funding over three years for a drop-in crisis centre. It gives young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless an array of crucial services.