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.”
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
8 pm |
| 20 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: N 9 KM/H
GUSTING TO 11 KM/H |
|
|
 |
9 pm |
| 20 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: NNE 10 KM/H
GUSTING TO 10 KM/H |
|
|
 |
10 pm |
| 19 ℃ |
| FEW CLOUDS |
WIND: NE 10 KM/H
GUSTING TO 10 KM/H |
|
|
 |
11 pm |
| 17 ℃ |
| SCATTERED CLOUDS |
WIND: NE 11 KM/H
GUSTING TO 12 KM/H |
|
 |
 |
12 am |
| 16 ℃ |
| SCATTERED CLOUDS |
WIND: ENE 9 KM/H
GUSTING TO 10 KM/H |
|
|
 |
1 am |
| 15 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
WIND: E 9 KM/H
GUSTING TO 9 KM/H |
|
|
 |
2 am |
| 14 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
WIND: ESE 10 KM/H
GUSTING TO 10 KM/H |
|
|
 |
3 am |
| 13 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
WIND: SE 11 KM/H
GUSTING TO 11 KM/H |
|
 |
 |
 |
TODAY |
HIGH OF 23 ℃
LOW OF 13 ℃ |
| HEAVY INTENSITY RAIN |
|
|
 |
TUESDAY |
HIGH OF 21 ℃
LOW OF 12 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
|
|
 |
WEDNESDAY |
HIGH OF 24 ℃
LOW OF 10 ℃ |
| FEW CLOUDS |
|
|
 |
THURSDAY |
HIGH OF 30 ℃
LOW OF 16 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
|
 |
 |
FRIDAY |
HIGH OF 25 ℃
LOW OF 14 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
|
|
 |
SATURDAY |
HIGH OF 30 ℃
LOW OF 15 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
|
|
 |
SUNDAY |
HIGH OF 36 ℃
LOW OF 19 ℃ |
| SCATTERED CLOUDS |
|
|
 |
MONDAY |
HIGH OF 34 ℃
LOW OF 23 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
THREE DAYS GRACE IN WAVES 08:19 PM |
 |
 |
DISTURBED WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR 08:12 PM |
 |
 |
NICKELBACK STANDING IN THE DARK 08:08 PM |
 |
 |
CLIFF BAUMAN BORN AGAIN 08:03 PM |
 |
 |
STARSET MY DEMONS 08:00 PM |
 |
 |
CREED ONE LAST BREATH 07:56 PM |
 |
 |
YOU ME AT SIX WIN SOME LOSE SOME 07:52 PM |
 |
 |
SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET RADIANCE 07:49 PM |
 |
 |
BUCKCHERRY ROAR LIKE THUNDER 07:43 PM |
 |
 |
SEVER RED THIEF 07:39 PM |
 |
 |