Georgina Jolibois pictured with Conrad Misponas and Mike Natomagan. Photo by Chelsea Laskowski.
Northern municipalities have passed a resolution to put the heat on the provincial and federal governments when it comes to health.
New North held its annual mayor and councillors meeting in Prince Albert on Thursday, and its membership pledged to lobby for an end to shortages on addiction and mental health services, and related facilities, in northern Saskatchewan.
The resolution was brought forward by Ile-a-la-Crosse and read by councillor Gerald Roy.
The focus is to reverse the “inadequate” provincial funding for three northern health regions, and the health region that serves Cumberland House, in order “to construct and staff addiction and mental health treatment centres and services.”
Northern Saskatchewan’s Member of Parliament, Georgina Jolibois, says she’s known about the issues around mental health and suicide for a long time.
In the past year, the mass shooting in La Loche and the recent suicides in La Ronge have led leaders like Jolibois and Lac La Ronge Chief Tammy Cook-Searson to speak out about the need for better health services in the north.
Jolibois says the resolution shows there are shared concerns between First Nations and municipalities, and “both leaderships are on par, they have plans, and they’re moving forward.”
“I’ve been saying this for years and years: municipalities and First Nations, it doesn’t matter where we live, those are our families and friends and we’re all interconnected. Our issues are the same,” she says.
Later on, the gathering will update the northern Strategy it’s working on with the University of Saskatchewan.