There has been yet another suicide involving a young Saskatchewan Indigenous girl.
The latest victim was just 13 years old. She died on Tuesday.
Funeral services were held today on the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation, which is about 300 kilometres northwest of Prince Albert.
The local high school was closed today out of respect for the girl and her family. Grief counsellors have been brought in to help students cope with the loss. Letters have also gone out to parents encouraging them to watch for signs of suicide in their children.
The Meadow Lake Tribal Council is coordinating support.
This is the fifth suicide of a young Aboriginal girl in Saskatchewan this month. The victims have ranged in age from 10 to 14 and lived in a number of northern communities, including Stanley Mission, Deschambault Lake, La Ronge and now the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation, just south of Loon Lake.
The province has beefed up its mental health support sending additional counsellors to the communities affected.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations is calling it a crisis that requires more action on the part of both the federal and provincial governments.
Last week, even the Prime Minister commented on the deaths, calling them a tragedy. Premier Brad Wall says the deaths are unacceptable and that more needs to be done.
According to the Assembly of First Nations, the teen suicide rate among Indigenous people is more than five times the national average.