Anonymous donor pledges $380K for suicide prevention plan in Wapekeka First Nation after 2 girls die – CBC

Jan 25, 2017

$30K of $380K donation sent to remote First Nation on Monday

An anonymous donor is pledging $380,000 for a plan to prevent more young people from dying by suicide on Wapekeka First Nation in northern Ontario, after Health Canada denied funding last summer.

Difficulty in obtaining government funding was made public last week after the death of two 12-year-olds, Jolynn Winter and Chantel Fox, in the remote community, about 600 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.

Wapekeka had alerted Health Canada to a suicide pact among young girls, and proposed a $376,706 community-based prevention plan while asking for funding last summer. But no help arrived. Health Canada told CBC News on Wednesday that it has committed to multi-year funding that will flow as soon as possible.

Read More: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/anonymous-donor-wapekeka-1.3951372