November 17, 2016
A fire that destroyed Shamattawa’s only grocery store and the band office in September is only one of the difficulties that residents there have been dealing with, First Nations leaders said at a press conference in Winnipeg Nov. 15.
The community is also struggling with a lack of housing and the problems that accompany overcrowding as well as mental health crises.
“Our community has experienced many challenges for a long time and most recently it has become more pronounced,” said Shamattawa First Nation Coun. Liberty Redhead in a press release. “Suicide is a major issue. We do not want to lose any more of our people.”
There have been 92 Mental Health Act complaints related to suicide attempts and mental health crises in 2016 and one completed suicide. There were 99 such complaints and six completed suicides in 2015 and there have been more than 1,000 Mental Health Act complaints and 22 completed suicides reported to the RCMP since 2009.