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Deschambault Lake girl’s suicide latest in disturbing northern trend

A tragic trend has reached Deschambault Lake with the suicide of a 10-year-old girl. The suicide, made public on Tuesday, marked the fourth reported suicide on a northern Saskatchewan reserve this month.

A tragic trend has reached Deschambault Lake with the suicide of a 10-year-old girl.

The suicide, made public on Tuesday, marked the fourth reported suicide on a northern Saskatchewan reserve this month.

Two girls from Stanley Mission and one from La Ronge – all between the ages of 12 and 14 – committed suicide earlier this month, the Canadian Press reported.

Grand Chief Ron Michel of the Prince Albert Grand Council referenced the Deschambault Lake suicide Tuesday at the council’s annual assembly in Prince Albert, according to the news agency.

Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Chief Peter Beatty, who is from Deschambault Lake, told CTV that the suicide “really hit home.”

“After the tragedies in Stanley Mission and going through that, you know we’ve experienced that before with our young people,” Beatty said. “It’s a real hard thing to deal with, especially when you’re dealing with people of that age. They have so much life to live and so much to look forward to.”

Besides Deschambault Lake, suicide and suicide attempts are an ongoing concern on other reserves with geographical and social ties to Flin Flon-Creighton.

In Pukatawagan, there were as many as 27 suicides between 2009 and 2013, according to a CTV report.

Suicides have also been reported in Pelican Narrows in recent years and dating back numerous years. A 2004 Reminder article noted that opposition to allowing alcohol in Pelican Narrows stemmed in part from concerns over numerous suicide attempts and how alcohol might worsen the situation.

In Flin Flon itself, suicide was the second-leading cause of death and injury among children and young teens as of 2006, according to data from International Association for Suicide Prevention.

According to 2013’s Suicide Prevention Resource Toolkit, published by Canada’s Centre for Suicide Prevention, aboriginal people in Canada have some of the highest suicide rates in the world.

Suicide and self-inflicted injuries were the leading causes of death for First Nations youth and adults up to the age of 44, stated the publication.

Advocates have called for improved access to mental-health services on reserves, but many acknowledge the living conditions in the communities themselves are a foundational concern.

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