THUNDER BAY -- The federal and Ontario health ministers will sit down with the grand chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation on Monday to discuss the ongoing suicide crisis in Northern Ontario First Nation communities.
A spokesperson for federal Health Minister Jane Philpott says the summit will take place in Ottawa on Monday.
In an email to Tbnewswatch, ministerial press secretary Andrew MacKendrick said "Minister Philpott will be meeting Minister (Eric) Hoskins and Chief (Alvin) Fiddler to discuss immediate supports and long term solutions that will build towards health transformation."
One of the goals of the summit is to give Indigenous leaders the ability to access resources more efficiently rather than waiting for government officials to process requests for assistance during an emergency.
A spokesperson for NAN says there have been at least 22 suicides in NAN communities so far this year, including eight victims who were between 10 and 15 years old.
Grand Chief Fiddler was not immediately available for comment for this story.
