Yorkton Tribal Council's Addictions and Mental Health conference returns for third year
Yorkton Tribal Council (YTC) is hosting a three-day Mental Health and Addictions Conference, geared at an Indigenous-led response for the crisis.
2022’s version is called “Restoring Hope,” and it’s the third year the conference has been facilitated by YTC.
Speakers from across Saskatchewan spoke of culture, languages, traditions, traditional medicines and its connections with addictions, along with work towards suicide prevention, trauma recovery, the opioid crisis and overcoming addictions.
Melanie Knutson is an addictions worker with YTC, and the mental health crisis team coordinator. She also led much of the organizing leading up to the conference.
“It’s for all six of our YTC First Nation communities,” she said. “It’s mostly for our frontline workers to focus on different topics and different information.”
In the first two days, the conference has welcomed around 200 to the Gallagher Centre, with Thursday’s agenda featuring more on the opioid crisis in Indigenous communities.
“Already in our communities, they have less supports and resources than urban centres do … a lot of our communities were shut down (during COVID-19) … they didn’t have access to mental health supports and addictions supports,” Knutson said.
She added that most addictions centres are looking at a backlog of around six months for treatment, created by the pandemic.
“They’re stuck on their communities, so what are you going to do? So that’s where addictions increases quite a bit,” Knutson said, before explaining the link between rises in overdose deaths and suicides.
“It’s a perpetual cycle of trauma. Everyone uses for a reason, it’s not something that’s random.”
Knutson said with the pandemic ending, numerous addictions and trauma related deaths are occurring on reserve. The addictions worker said an increase in funding will lead to more supports from YTC to its member communities in the new year.
Bringing together these six Indigenous communities also brings an Indigenous way of thinking, and perspective, said Knutson.
“Indigenous culture is all about family and holistic health. They’re very much following the medicine wheel, of if someone is struggling with addiction, there’s another piece or another part of their life that is out of balance … it’s very important,” she said.
Since 2020, Saskatchewan has experienced over 1,000 overdose deaths.
Saskatchewan Coroner’s Service Chief Coroner Clive Weighill said Indigenous populations are “overrepresented for the size of their population.”
So far in 2022, 355 have died due to overdoses as of Oct. 31, with Saskatchewan set to surpass the record set in 2021 of 410.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C.'s short-term rental regulations include $10K daily penalties for Airbnb, other platforms
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.