First Nations say suicide crisis requires same response as natural disasters – CBC

Mar 24, 2017

‘Social emergencies summit’ aims to create template for government response in First Nations

A rash of suicides; a car crash that claims multiple members of the same family; the arrival of a new, highly addictive drug — First Nations in northern Ontario say these kinds of social emergencies require the same approach as forest fires or floods.

Ontario’s Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act governs how agencies respond to natural disasters in the province. An operations centre supports municipalities in managing situations once a state of emergency is declared.

First Nations in the Treaty 3 and Treaty 9 areas of Ontario are meeting with government officials in Thunder Bay, Ont., this week to develop similar protocols for dealing with “social emergencies.”

First Nations say suicide crisis requires same response as natural disasters – CBC

NationTalk Partners & Sponsors Learn More