Family of northern teen suicide calls for inquest

The family of a teenager who killed herself two years ago in a remote Indigenous community on James Bay is calling for a coroner’s inquest into her death, which sparked a crisis that garnered international attention and political promises of change.

In a letter to the regional coroner in northwestern Ontario, Stephanie Hookimaw said relatives in Attawapiskat are still struggling to come to grips with what drove her daughter Sheridan Hookimaw, 13, to her self-inflicted death and what might be done to prevent further such suicides.

“It seems that nothing has changed in the community — it is business as usual,” Hookimaw wrote in a letter obtained by The Canadian Press. “The family and I think, however, that this death could have been prevented.”

The letter to Dr. Michael Wilson warns that other young people in Attawapiskat and in Indigenous communities elsewhere are suicidal. It also cites Health Institute statistics that First Nations girls kill themselves at a rate seven times higher than their non-Aboriginal counterparts.

“An inquiry could help prevent more deaths,” Hookimaw said. “Sheridan’s tragic death should not be in vain. We want to see changes in the institutions that are supposed to nourish, protect and care for our children.”

The family said it had not heard from Wilson about the letter sent two weeks ago, and he did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sheridan’s death in October 2015 sparked a rash of suicide attempts and threats among her peers. The community’s declaration of a state of emergency in April 2016 led to an influx of politicians promising more resources for mental health and other needs.