GN cites progress on Nunavut suicide prevention plan

On World Suicide Prevention Day, Sept. 10, the Government of Nunavut said again it’s working on the implementation of the Nunavut suicide prevention strategy action plan, a collaboration between the GN, Embrace Life Council, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and the RCMP.

“On World Suicide Prevention Day, we recognize that suicide in Nunavut touches all of us,” said Premier Eva Aariak in a late afternoon news release from the GN.

Aariak said that working with “our partners and communities we will continue to address suicide in a holistic and comprehensive way with a particular focus on strengthening community supports for children and youth.”

Since the plan was released in September 2011, the GN said the following progress has been made:

• $100,000 more in annual core funding from the GN to the Embrace Life Council;

• ongoing reviews of the Nunavut Addictions and Mental Health Framework, and the Nunavut Mental Health Act;

• training in mental health first aid now offered by 14 trainers;

• addition of two full-time indeterminate positions at the GN, including a suicide prevention specialist, to its mental health and wellness division; and,

• collection of data on suicide and contributing circumstances.

As well, the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training materials, Uqaqatigiiluk (Talk about it), are now being used in training, with 13 more people trained to provide ASIST workshops.

The Uqaqatigiiluk schedule of community visits is posted here

Last year, was one of the worst for suicide statistics in Nunavut: thirty-three Nunavut residents, including a 12-year-old boy from Kugaaruk, died by suicide in 2011, the second-worst year in the territory’s history.