World Suicide Prevention Day marked in Waterloo Region

Waterloo Region will participate in World Suicide Prevention Day with an 18-hour classical music concert, dialogue and the release of 500 butterflies Saturday.

The majority of the local events are centred at Wilfrid Laurier University, part of the national link-up for a live-streamed music concert that spans the daylight hours from coast-to-coast.

In addition, brightly-coloured yellow and orange ribbons will be distributed to bring awareness to the issue of suicide.

The Canadian Association of Suicide Prevention council has already distributed 40 per cent of its 100 thousand ribbons, including to all Members of Parliament and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

'Sunrise'

Tana Nash is the Executive Director of the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Counciland the Executive Director of the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention.

"[The ribbon colours]really reflecthope and it reflects the dawning of a new day, the breaking of a sunrise," Nash said.

"If you can just make it through and hold on sometime to the next day everything can be so much better. It's that light at the end of the tunnel."

Statistics suggest there are 4,000 deaths by suicide every year in Canada, and for every death there are 25 attempts.

Nash told CBC in Kitchener-Waterloothatsuicide is the 9th leading cause of death in Canada, and there are many suicide survivor stories that need to be shared.

• Downloadable suicide preventiontoolkit and resources available

"There are many stories anecdotally that'll be shared when we're presenting in the community where someone will come up and say 'you know I was thinking about it' or 'I was just so close and the phone rang'.

There are hundreds of those stories," Nash said.

Mysterious barricades

Wilfrid Laurier University associate Professor and Mezzo Soprano Kimberly Barber will emcee and perform at the Mysterious Barricades classical music concert.She had apersonal tragedy to share.

"A dear friend of mine, Elizabeth Turnbull who teaches at the University of Alberta, lost her husband to suicide almost a year ago," Barber said.

"The Mysterious Barricades was a favourite piece of her husband and she wanted that piece to be the cornerstone of the concert," Barber added.

Barber said participating musiciansacross the country embraced this idea.

The 18-hour, 13-venue classical music concert will be live-streamed across Canada.

Today's Events

• 10:00-4:00 live-streaming: Mysterious Barricades free concert. From sunrise in St. John's NL to sunset in Victoria B.C., the18-hour concert of hope and awareness will involve a sequence of stages across Canada including Wilfrid Laurier. Free admission. Maureen Forrester Recital Hall, Wilfrid Laurier University
• 12:00-4:00 information fair: Featuring 25 local community and university resources, Maureen Forrester Recital Hall lobby, Wilfrid Laurier
• 1:00-2:30 live performance: Mysterious Barricades free concert.Maureen Forrester Recital Hall, Wilfrid Laurier.Featuring Waterloomusicians and performers, including Goodhearted Women Singers and the Sing Fires of Justice Community Choir, as well as singer-songwriter Vienna D'Amato Hall See mysteriousbarricades.org for a list of performers.
• 2:30-4:00 charity barbeque: Outdoor Quad, Wilfrid Laurier University
• 4:00-4:30 speaker series: The Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council: Connect, Communicate, Care. Maureen Forrester Recital Hall, Wilfrid Laurier
• 4:30 simultaneous butterfly release: Serving as a symbol of hope for those affected by suicide,400 butterflies will be released at the Outdoor Quad at WLU. There will be musical accompaniment by flutist, Eric Kavcic. 100 butterflies will be released at Grand River Hospital.