Taking steps to reduce alcoholism, self-harm and suicide

By Darrell Greer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Kivalliq News While Nunavut remains home to the country’s highest rates of suicide and self-harm, and very high rates of hospitalizations due to alcohol, the territory is taking steps to reduce those numbers. These harms are linked to the social and health inequalities experienced by the population due to colonialism, according to a Canadian Mental Health Association report released late in 2024. David Tulugak of Rankin Inlet said the reasons behind suicide remain complex but, in his opinion, although the effects of colonialism are still evident, they are starting to fade a bit as the years roll past. And, he said, in many cases, alcoholism is long overdue to be cut down, so that children in the community may benefit. “I don’t like…

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