Local officials are coming together to combat the so-called suicide crisis facing northern communities.
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine hosted Pathways to Well-Being today, a conference involving Indigenous youth, leaders, health providers and government officials.
Dean Dr. Roger Strasser says they’re working on a 5-year action plan to ensure fewer young people take their own lives.
He says they want to create “a future that is positive, that’s about embracing life, that is without suicide.”
Strasser admits the high rate of youth suicide, especially in Indigenous communities, is a major challenge.
Health Minister Jane Philpott attended the conference and says the federal government is continuing to fund mental health services in communities like Wapekeka which are struggling with suicide among young people. (Staff Photo)
@janephilpott speaking @thenosm‘s Pathways to Well-Being gathering to address youth suicide in Northern and Indigenous communities. pic.twitter.com/Qwpcg1Fru6
— NOSM (@thenosm) June 28, 2017