To commemorate those lost by suicide, the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Champlain East held an informative and encompassing community event in Confederation Park, Hawkesbury, on September 10, 2024.
World Suicide Prevention Day is an annual awareness day which asks people to check in with those in their family, friend groups, and community who may be suffering from mental health issues. Ultimately, the date pushes individuals to work on dismantling the larger stigma surrounding mental health issues, given that suicide claims 700,000 individuals each year.
Guest speakers and multiple organizations encouraged an open dialogue about suicide and suicidal behaviour among individuals in the local area. This also included the Hawkesbury Hawks Junior A hockey team as part of the Talk Today Program, a pioneering initiative started in 2014 that was developed by the CMHA Ontario Division and the OHL. The program includes a CMHA mental health coach for each team and mandatory mental health and suicide awareness training for athletes 15 and older.
A live musical performance was also provided to the audience. Catherine Picard, born in Québec City and a current resident of Vankleek Hill since the age of nine, gave a moving and emotional solo set dealing with topics of worthlessness, hopelessness, and depression.
Notable organizations that shared information on their resources included Valoris, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), East Ontario Health Unit (EOHU), Suicide Prevention Coalition of Champlain East, OPP Mobile Community Response Team (MRCT), Youth Wellness Hubs, and the MenTALK/K’Hommunique Initiative.
The Mayor of Hawkesbury, Robert Lefebvre, was also in attendance stating that, “we have a safe and welcoming community; everyone looks out and supports each other.”
Lefebvre later added, “this issue of suicide prevention is very important, of course, because it affects us all.”
The overall aims of the event included creating awareness by using statistical evidence, testimonials from those who have gone through mental health crises, and cultivating a supportive culture for those who may need these services in the future.
An EOHU representative asserted that there are three main focuses for events such as this, namely “education, awareness, and community engagement.”
Some troubling local statistics from the EOHU were presented by the masters of ceremony, Geneviève Desrochers and Stephen Douris. In Hawkesbury alone, 27 per cent of residents felt worthless, 26 per cent felt hopeless, and 30 per cent felt depressed at least once or twice over the past month. However, 60 per cent of residents reported perceiving their mental health as excellent or very good, which highlights the success of these community mental health programs.
More generally, the CMHA stated that mental health problems account for at least 50 per cent of family physician visits in Canada and that one in five Canadians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime.
To address the high suicide rates among men between the ages of 20-44 in the region, the MenTalk/K’Hommunique support group was founded by Douris and Yvan Labelle back in 2019. The group focuses on building up men who suffer from mental health issues and combat the hopelessness they may feel.
The event closed with a candlelight vigil representing hope, justice, faith, peace, and love, further symbolizing the unity in community well-being.
When asked about encouraging more people to attend events such as this, Lefebvre suggested, “engaging with various activities and social media to ensure that the word gets out… to always be out there promoting the issue of mental health.”
Some useful contact information and resources in the region can be found below if you or someone you know is struggling with their mental well-being:
- Reachoutnow.ca
- Calling the local Hawkesbury CMHA branch at 613-938-0435
- www.cmha-east.on.ca
- https://valorispr.ca/en/
- Calling or texting 988, the suicide prevention hotline in Canada
