(Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Nicole Reis

Community in Crisis

Suicide among youth appears to be spreading among Meadow Lake First Nations

Nov 26, 2019 | 2:08 PM

The suicide crisis at Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation is not only deepening, but spreading.

The band’s CEO Barry Chalifoux said since the suicide death on Nov. 22, five more youth are in the hospital as a result of attempted suicide.

“We’re asking for own funding to hire our own suicide prevention coordinator,” he said.” That person would be responsible for coordinating all different local resources by making sure there is a suicide prevention coordinator within each program including addictions, mental health and within schools.”

Nearly 40 minutes west, Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation is suffering from the same tragic situation.

Barry Matsuing Chalifoux, Makwa Sahgaiehcan CEO and Band Manager. (Nicole Reis/meadowlakeNOW Staff)

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A 12-year-old girl took her own life on Saturday night, according to Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation councillor Rose Ahenakew, which has led the band to begin discussions about issuing a state of crisis for their community.

Kristin Heathen has been a mental health councillor in Ministikwan for nearly three years. She said the community recently experienced eight suicides in quick succession and is seeking more programs to keep youth physically and mentally active.

“A lot of the youth that I talk with usually say that there is not enough for them to do on the reserve, there’s no youth programs. There are not enough activities for kids to do on the reserve and not enough programming for kids or families,” she told meadowlakeNOW. “Kids don’t have a life, they just have school and then come home and they’re bored.”

Heathen said bullying is a contributing factor to the state of mental health in Indigenous youth.

“There’s no solid bullying program at school. There is also a lot of cyber bullying and some of the youth have parents that are going through addiction. We only have one addictions worker and that’s not enough to cover a whole community,” she said. “The youth are being overlooked because addictions workers are dealing with older people.”

Approximately 1,400 people live on Ministikwan Cree Nation.

Students and staff at Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation School console one another last week on hearing news of further suicides. (Nicole Reis/meadowlakeNOW Staff)

“We’ve been having death after death for the last little while. We’ve had about eight deaths back-to-back. We’re running out of resources and funding and all of our frontline workers are burnt out. We need help,” Heathen said.

According to Chalifoux, Saskatchewan Health Authority has sent four people to Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation. They were seconded from local hospitals to help with their immediate needs but the community is still awaiting a permanent response.

He said the federal government stated there was money set aside through the Meadow Lake Tribal Council though Chalifoux added they opted to reject that option.

“The tribal council has let us down time and time again. It’s not that they’re doing it on purpose, it’s just that they’re overwhelmed with their own workload. We want to handle our own situation because we know what’s wrong,” he said. “Our community members know what’s wrong and we want to handle our own situation. We don’t want them (MLTC) touching anything. We want the government to make a promise with us so that we can report back to them.”

Heathen said the kids are still deeply affected by the string of deaths in their community and youth are displaying a range of emotions.

“A lot of kids are shaking and have anxiety and anger issues. We’re doing breathing exercises. There’s a lot of different moods going on right now,” she said, noting now is a critical time for parents to intervene in children’s lives.

“That’s what our youth need, we need parents to be involved with what their kids are going through and how they’re feeling,” she said. “If somebody knows that someone is feeling down, tell someone. That’s what I want to say to parents and youth.”

With files from CKOM

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If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or is in crisis, you can contact the 24-hour Prince Albert Mobile Crisis unit at (306) 764-1011 or the First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line at 1-855-242-3310. Services are offered in Cree, Ojibway and Inuktuk by request 24/7.

Warning Signs of Suicide:
• Suicidal threats
• Statements revealing a desire to die
• Previous suicide attempts
• Sudden changes in behaviour (withdrawal, apathy, moodiness)
• Depression (crying, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, hopelessness)
• Final arrangements (such as giving away personal possessions)

Communities in need of mental health crisis counselling services can call 1-866-885-3933 ext. 4 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Monday to Friday.

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nicole.reis@jpbg.ca

@nicolereis7722