LETTER: Indigenous Mobile Crisis Unit idea gaining traction – PelhamToday.ca
February 12, 2025
‘According to the Government of Canada, the Indigenous suicide rate is three times higher than the non-Indigenous suicide rate’
PelhamToday received the following letter to the editor regarding Indigenous suicide prevention:
According to the Government of Canada, the Indigenous suicide rate is three times higher than the non-Indigenous suicide rate. The Indigenous youth suicide rate (ages 15-24) is currently 5-6-times higher than the general population. With 1.2 million children in Canada affected by mental health, roughly 65 percent of these children are Indigenous. The Indigenous community makes up only 5 percent of the population of Canada, approximately 1.8 million people.
Our local politicians are beginning to see the importance of the implementation of an Indigenous Mobile Crisis Unit for our Indigenous community in Niagara. I have had productive conversations about the unit with Councillor Carmen DeRose (Thorold), Mayor Mat Siscoe (St. Catharines) and Mayor Jim Diodati (Niagara Falls) all who have expressed interest in supporting the creation and implementation of the unit.
