OTTAWA – The MP for the remote Saskatchewan community of La Loche says the people there are in urgent need of round-the-clock mental health services as they struggle to deal with the aftermath of a tragic mass shooting.
Georgina Jolibois says people in the Dene community are showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder.
In a letter to Health Minister Jane Philpott, the New Democrat MP says one young person attempted suicide earlier this week.
On Jan. 22, a 17-year-old boy allegedly shot and killed two teenaged brothers before going on a rampage at the local high school, where he killed a teacher and a teacher’s aide and wounded seven others.
The shooter, who can’t be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, has been charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder.
Jolibois says the tragedy has provoked a mental health crisis in the community, but there are not enough mental health professionals to deal with it.
(The Canadian Press)