A private donor is being lauded by aboriginal leaders for stepping in “where the government of Canada has failed” after anonymously pledging C$380,000 to provide mental health workers for a suicide-stricken First Nations community in northern Ontario. Noting concerns about a potential suicide pact among young women, the community requested C$376,706 to hire and train four mental health workers. The request was denied by Health Canada, who later said the request arrived at an “awkward” time in the federal funding cycle. Others saw the denied request as part of a larger pattern, one that has left basic health and mental health services on reserves chronically underfunded, with deadly consequences. Health Canada said it was aware of the donation.

Source: The Guardian January 27, 2017 15:50 UTC