The day after the Saskatchewan Party tabled its spring budget, which included $11.4 million in new funding for mental health supports and services, a petition signed by northern residents is calling on the government to invest more money into mental health and wellness programs and facilities immediately.
Cumberland MLA Doyle Vermette tabled the petition in the legislature Wednesday. The petition states that the north has tragically high rates of suicide and that many residents struggle with mental health and addictions issues.
Vermette says leaders have expressed the need for a wellness facility in northern Saskatchewan.
The Minister of Government Relations, First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs, Warren Kaeding, says the new mental health supports and services money will be distributed to the north as needs arise.
(PHOTO: Doyle Vermette. Photo courtesy of saskndp.ca)