Sudbury residents share suggestions on addressing suicide

Morning North6:04Suicide prevention

Roughly 4000 Canadians commit suicide every year. We heard how one family is coping after their dad was lost to suicide and what they think needs to change. Kim Price spoke at a round table discussion in Sudbury on suicide prevention.Improving prevention was top of mind at a round table discussion in Sudbury about suicide, as Thursday's event was one of more than 300 talks held across the country.

According to Statistics Canada, suicide is the leading cause of death among young Canadians after car accidents.

It's a topic Stephanie Price knows all too well, as she lost her dad to suicide when she was 10 and now, she's trying to break the stigma that's too often associated with the experience.

"I didn't want to be that girl whose dad killed himself," she said. "It wasn't like another child whose father died of a physical illness."

Stephanie's mom Kim credits counseling for helping her family move on.

"It saved me," she said. "It gave me the stepping stone of how I had to help my children."

The pair told the roundtable that they'd like to see more professional help given to survivors and have suicide discussed in schools.

National strategy needed

The Mental Health Commission of Canada has challenged all Members of Parliament to have a conversation on the topic in their communities.

Nickel Belt MP Claude Gravelle said the assignment is personal, as he said his family has been affected by suicide.

"There's a Canadian who's lost through suicide every 121 minutes," he said.

"It's a serious issue. It's something that we have to look at. It's something that we have to address. I think we should develop a national suicide prevention strategy."

The Mental Health Commission of Canada will use the suggestions from the talks to develop community strategies on suicide prevention.