Discussion on mental health affecting farmers headlines day 3 of Agribition
Former National Hockey League (NHL) player Sheldon Kennedy took the stage at the Grain Expo at Agribition on Wednesday to tell his story about addictions and abuse.
Now a producer in Lucky Lake, Sask., Kennedy is hoping his story influences other producers to get help when they need it.
“It's about resiliency, it is about reaching out, it's about being connected and I think that will offer them a tool,” Kennedy said. “I think the more we hear this message, the more confidence we're gonna get in this space.”
Kyle Stewart, a cattle producer in Morse, Sask. said an isolated lifestyle puts producers at risk.
“There are days where you are sitting in a tractor for 12-18 hours by yourself and I mean, you can get thinking in your own head,” Stewart explained.
Stewart, who is a mental health advocate, said calling your neighbour to talk could have a positive effect on your mental health.
“You get a perspective of how maybe the problems they're dealing with that day, and sometimes they're a lot more worse off than you are and it kind of puts things in perspective for yourself,” Stewart said.
There are resources in the agriculture field that producers can utilize for their mental health including Sask AG Matters Network, a program that can provide free therapy sessions to those in need.
“We have the funding to provide six, one hour sessions for producers or family members, and no one knows about it, it is absolutely confidential,” Cynthia Beck, co director of the program said.
Even with successful programs, Kennedy said there is still work to in the country. He said that lots of times, people are told to talk about their problems but are not being helped with the right supports.
“When they do tell, I think that's something that we need to get better at as a country,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.