SHARE ON: |
| |
| |
 |
 |
|
|
The Saskatchewan legislature passed a bill – which was defeated twice before – to establish a suicide prevention strategy in the province.
MLAs passed Bill 601 Friday. The bill was introduced by NDP MLA Doyle Vermette, who brought the bill forward in 2018 and 2019 before it was voted down by the government.
“Feeling like the heroes are family members that lost loved ones. That this is their victory, that the members in the assembly came together. It’s been a rough fight,” said Vermette.
When the bill was last voted down, Tristen Durocher decided to walk more than 600 kilometres from Air Ronge to Regina. Durocher held a 44-day ceremony on the grounds of the Legislative Building to raise awareness about high suicide rates among Indigenous people in northern Saskatchewan.
The bill mandates the Ministry of Health to start consultations with stakeholders, establish a suicide prevention strategy and report on progress annually.
The ministry will also be required to provide guidelines to improve public awareness about suicide and make information about suicide statistics and risk factors available, among other things.
“The bill brought forward by the members opposite is a very important one to the people of this province,” said Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Everett Hindley during Friday’s session.
“We’ve been a government that listens to Saskatchewan people and we heard that passing this legislation would be a meaningful step in supporting suicide prevention efforts across Saskatchewan.”
Passage of the suicide prevention strategy was influenced by Durocher’s march to the legislature last summer and MLAs were also touched by Walsh Acres MLA Derek Meyers’ loss of his daughter, Teigha, to suicide last fall.
“When Teigha was going through her struggles and ultimately lost her battle with mental illness and completed suicide, I didn’t know how to deal with it in a public aspect but it is important to have these conversations,” said Meyers.
“It’s important so that people who are struggling know that there are resources and that they aren’t alone. We are working for them and there is a community and 61 MLAs all coming together all to support them.”
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
2 pm |
| 20 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: ESE 13 KM/H
GUSTING TO 15 KM/H |
|
|
 |
3 pm |
| 21 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: SE 14 KM/H
GUSTING TO 15 KM/H |
|
|
 |
4 pm |
| 21 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: SE 18 KM/H
GUSTING TO 20 KM/H |
|
|
 |
5 pm |
| 22 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
WIND: ESE 18 KM/H
GUSTING TO 20 KM/H |
|
 |
 |
6 pm |
| 22 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: ESE 24 KM/H
GUSTING TO 31 KM/H |
|
|
 |
7 pm |
| 20 ℃ |
| MODERATE RAIN |
WIND: SE 21 KM/H
GUSTING TO 32 KM/H |
|
|
 |
8 pm |
| 19 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
WIND: SSW 11 KM/H
GUSTING TO 25 KM/H |
|
|
 |
9 pm |
| 17 ℃ |
| MODERATE RAIN |
WIND: SE 2 KM/H
GUSTING TO 9 KM/H |
|
 |
 |
 |
TODAY |
HIGH OF 22 ℃
LOW OF 12 ℃ |
| MODERATE RAIN |
|
|
 |
FRIDAY |
HIGH OF 27 ℃
LOW OF 14 ℃ |
| MODERATE RAIN |
|
|
 |
SATURDAY |
HIGH OF 30 ℃
LOW OF 15 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
|
|
 |
SUNDAY |
HIGH OF 30 ℃
LOW OF 18 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
|
 |
 |
MONDAY |
HIGH OF 25 ℃
LOW OF 16 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
|
|
 |
TUESDAY |
HIGH OF 27 ℃
LOW OF 15 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
|
|
 |
WEDNESDAY |
HIGH OF 27 ℃
LOW OF 17 ℃ |
| MODERATE RAIN |
|
|
 |
THURSDAY |
HIGH OF 25 ℃
LOW OF 17 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
DISTURBED MONSTER 02:08 PM |
 |
 |
STARSET DYSTOPIA 02:03 PM |
 |
 |
APOC THE ONLY WAY IS UP 02:00 PM |
 |
 |
OZZY OSBOURNE TIME AFTER TIME 01:53 PM |
 |
 |
LOCKJAW I CANT ESCAPE 01:49 PM |
 |
 |
HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD COMIN THRU THE STEREO 01:46 PM |
 |
 |
BUCKCHERRY COME ON 01:40 PM |
 |
 |
BAD WOLVES ALL I NEED IS HOPE 01:37 PM |
 |
 |
THE SCORE DOWN WITH THE WOLVES 01:34 PM |
 |
 |
DEF LEPPARD ROCKET 01:30 PM |
 |
 |