FIRST NATION DECLARES CRISIS
Ten-year-old girl dies by suicide
The community of Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation came together Wednesday afternoon at a feast to honour the life of the youngest person to die there of suicide.
Ten-year-old Jaylyn Angus died Nov. 21. She was one of three people who died of suicide in the past month in the northwestern Saskatchewan community. A state of emergency and crisis was declared there following the deaths and several recent attempts.
Dorothy Angus said she and her husband are trying to cope with the loss of their daughter, who she described as loving, quiet and never mean.
Jaylyn loved pow wow, playing hockey and was to start guitar lessons soon. She cut her long hair in the style of members of her favourite pop group, BTS, Dorothy said.
Now, Dorothy said she wants to speak out for change. She is calling for mental health professionals to assess children in the community; she also wants to see training for more people, such as school staff and parents, and the creation of a health and wellness centre where people can express how they are feeling.
She is a teacher herself, and she also lacks the training to deal with some of the issues present in the community, she said.
“All that I can give our kids is love, and that is really the No. 1 thing — show them that you love them, that you care, that they’re everything. Because a lot of our kids think that they don’t matter,” she said.
“I’m speaking on behalf of my daughter. I’m going to be her voice to get other kids that help.”
On Wednesday, Makwa Sahgaiehcan Chief Ronald Mitsuing and band manager Barry Chalifoux were at the legislature in Regina to attend question period and meet with provincial officials to ask for help and for a suicide prevention strategy for the province.
During question period, Opposition NDP Leader Ryan Meili pressed Premier Scott Moe on whether he would commit to passing a suicide prevention strategy.
Moe did not make a commitment, but said the province is conducting a “jurisdictional scan” to see what other provinces have in place for suicide prevention and to implement these best practices where there are gaps.
“We know there are gaps. The gaps are clear,” Meili said.
Speaking with media later, Mitsuing expressed disappointment in hearing Moe speak about the jurisdictional scan.
“Things are happening now. They can’t wait anymore. Kids are losing their lives and if they keep waiting, it’s going to happen again,” he said.
He wants to see training for support workers who can assess youth and look for signs of suicide risk, Mitsuing said. Front-line support workers and teachers are burning out and stressed, and the help they have received is short-term, he added.
Rural and Remote Health Minister Warren Kaeding confirmed that the presence of the 10 staff sent by the Saskatchewan Health Authority to the community is temporary and that it’s “a little early” to determine which services will be put into the community for the longer term. That determination would be community-led, Kaeding said. He did not provide a time frame for the jurisdictional scan’s completion.
He acknowledged the community’s request for training, and that it wants to develop sustainable services from within. When asked if the government would commit to funding for the community or for permanent positions to develop these services, Kaeding spoke of a need to look through a broader scope.
“Although this community is certainly going through a crisis now, I mean, suicide is certainly a major issue throughout all of our communities in the province and I think we’re working toward building services that are going to better serve all of our communities,” he said.
Another community near Makwa Sahgaiehcan, Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation, has been considering declaring a state of emergency after a 12-year-old girl died of suicide there last week. Director of health Savannah Crookedneck said the issue has been an ongoing concern, but in the last five years it has been on the rise.
Since the 12-year-old’s death, the community has been providing one-on-one counselling to youth at their request and has made its weekly youth nights a nightly occurrence. She said there has been a high demand for therapists, which the tribal council has sent to the community, along with counsellors and youth mentors.
Crookedneck described the girl who died as very kind, generous and soft-spoken, saying her death affected a lot of youth in the community. “She basically touched many lives in the short amount of time that she was on this Earth.”