Attawapiskat is a secluded First Nations reserve located at the mouth of the Attawapiskat River in James Bay Ontario. On April 11th 2016 a state of emergency was called in Attawapiskat because there were approximately 150 suicide attempts by individuals from the ages of 9-71. Some causes of this crisis can be traced back to the poor housing conditions. In 2011 a state of emergency was called due to the inadequate housing, and at the time there were only 340 homes for the 2,100 people living in Attawapiskat. Other factors contributing are the lack of clean water, and shortcoming of education are all contributing to the mental health issues facing this community. We believe the government needs to put in place national strategies to ensure this doesn't continue to happen. These strategies will give Attawapiskat and hopefully other struggling reserves the mental health workers they need. There also needs to be an increase in funding to Canadian reserves so that they may get the proper housing and education everyone deserves. We really hope you will sign this petition to ensure the stability of Attawapiskat and to prevent anymore suicide attempts. |