First Nations experience disproportionate rates of suicide when compared to the general population. Various risk factors are identified to increase understanding of the prevalence of suicide among First Nations, but environmental dimensions of suicide are understudied. This study asks whether water insecurity, as reflected by long-term drinking water advisories (LT-DWA), has any bearing on the distribution of suicide in First Nations across Canada, and specifically in Ontario. To assess this, we established the proportion of First Nations with LT-DWAs in Canada and in Ontario that have had suicides occur between 2011 and 2016 through a review of media archives. This proportion was compared to census data on the proportion of First Nations with suicides in Canada and in Ontario between 2011 and 2016, and statistical significance of difference was determined through chi-square goodness of fit test. Overall, the findings were mixed. Nationally, there was no significantly difference of proportion of First Nations with LT-DWAs with combined (confirmed and probable) reported suicides occurring when compared to census proportions; however, at the provincial level, findings had significant differences. The authors conclude that water insecurity in First Nations, as indicated by the presence of a LT-DWA in First Nations across may be an important environmental dimension of suicide, contributing to enhanced risk for suicide in First Nations.
Ansloos, J., & Cooper, A. (2023). Is suicide a water justice issue? Investigating long-term drinking water advisories and suicide in First Nations in Canada. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(5), 4045.
1. Introduction
Suicide is one of the most urgent issues facing First Nations in Canada, with suicide rates approximately three times higher compared with the general population [1]. Global incident rates across a 60-year period suggest an upward trend of suicide among Indigenous peoples [2]. For First Nations in Canada, suicide is often cited as a leading cause of death for youth [3], and the leading cause of death for adults under the age of 44 [4]. Many risk factors are identified to increase understanding of the disproportionate prevalence of suicide among First Nations, but there is an urgent need to understand environmental dimensions. This exploratory study investigates one potential environmental dimension of suicide among First Nations: water insecurity.
1.1. Suicide among First Nations in Canada
As early as 1995, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples categorized suicide risk factors for First Nations, including biopsychological factors (e.g., depression, substance use disorders), situational factors (e.g., disruptions to family life due to child welfare policies, off-reserve hospitalizations), socioeconomic factors (e.g., income levels, education levels), and cultural stressors (e.g., suppression of belief systems and spirituality, racial discrimination) [5]. Since then, a range of other demographic factors, including gender, age, and geographic location, have been found to have a significant bearing on rates of suicide among First Nations. Youth aged 15 to 24, men, and those living on reserve, are at higher risk for suicide [1]. Socioeconomic factors have also been consistently associated with high rates of suicide in First Nations [6,7,8]. Recently, household income, labour force status, education, and marital status accounted for 66% of suicide risk after adjusting for risk associated with age and sex among First Nations adults [1], demonstrating that socioeconomic factors have heavy bearing on suicide rates. However, to date, environmental dimensions of suicide among First Nations have received little research.
Qualitative studies have suggested that First Nations affected by a lack of access to safe drinking water are likely to have disproportionately high suicide rates [28] and that water insecurity may be associated with mental health issues in First Nations [36], which by extension might intersect with suicide risk. Among Indigenous peoples in Canada, more broadly, it has been found that mental health outcomes associated with suicide may be affected by climate change, and in particular changes to land, ice, snow, weather, and sense of place [37,38,39]. Related to this, research has shown that environmental changes and related damages to environmental infrastructure accompanying climate change are linked to enhanced psychosocial distress, which in turn might affect suicidality [37]. In a recent study among Inuit in Nunatsiavut, climate change enhanced the likelihood of suicidal ideation [40,41].
An ecozone is an area of Earth’s surface representing large, very generalized ecological units. Each ecozone is characterized by a unique interplay of geologic, climatic, vegetative, wildlife and human activity factors.
Canada has 20 ecozones: 15 terrestrial and 5 marine. The 15 terrestrial ecozones are further divided into 53 ecoprovinces, and those in turn are subdivided into 194 ecoregions.
Ecozones, ecoprovinces and ecoregions are useful units for reporting and planning purposes at, respectively, the national, provincial and regional levels.
Ecozones are the broadest classification type for forests
Acadian Forest RegionLocated in Quebec as well as the Maritime Provinces in Eastern Canada, and extends into the United States.
Boreal Forest RegionThe largest forest region in Canada. It is located in the north and contains about one-third of the world’s circumpolar boreal forests (also sometimes referred to as a snow forest).
Coast Forest RegionLocated on the west coast, this region is home to almost entirely coniferous trees such as the Douglas-fir, Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and western red cedar.
Columbia Forest RegionThis region is located between the Rocky Mountains and the central plateau in British Columbia.
Deciduous Forest RegionThis Canadian forest region is located between Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, and Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario.
Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Forest– This region is the second-largest forest region and is located from southeastern Manitoba to the Gaspé Peninsula.
Montane Forest Region – Located in the west of Canada, this region covers parts of the Kootenays, the central plateau of British Columbia, and a number of valleys close to Alberta’s border.
Subalpine Forest Region– This region is located in British Columbia and Alberta.
If you found out that at least $200 million of public funding went towards a single major corporation and its subsidiaries over the last few years, would you have questions about its operations? What if I told you they also managed 22 million hectares of forest across Canada [1]? Furthermore, what if they had global ties to a corporation with a documented track record of environmental and human rights violations [2]? Our brand new reports highlight the concerning lack of transparency and accountability surrounding the company that has been establishing itself as a logging giant across Canada for the last two decades: Domtar, formerly known as Paper Excellence and Resolute. Forests are living, breathing systems that sustain life, not just resources to be commodified. And now, with the Carney government giving natural resource lobbyists (those hired to speak on behalf of industry behind closed doors) so much access, pushing for transparency and accountability has never been more important [3].
These new reports trace Domtar’s extensive lobbying activity during a critical four-year period, when the company (operating under different names) was facing growing public scrutiny, attempting to silence us through legal action, and approaching a federal investigation [4, 5, 6]. Despite clear rebranding and a carefully crafted “green” image [7], serious transparency gaps remain. Domtar’s sole owner, Jackson Wijaya, has still not appeared before the House of Commons Committee—even after being formally requested to do so [8]. Canadians are being left in the dark about who truly controls the largest forestry company in the country [9] and what that control means for the future of forests and communities. What the reports reveal is deeply concerning: The research shows that as Domtar ramped up lobbying ahead of federal scrutiny, it received over $200 million in public funding while facing environmental penalties and mill closures—raising serious questions about transparency and public benefit. This all reveals a stark imbalance: vast amounts of political access and public money flowing to one company, with too little transparency in return—at a moment when Canada’s forests are already under intense pressure from industrial logging, old growth logging, biodiversity loss, and a rapidly changing climate [10, 11, 12].
Designed with inclusivity, cultural relevance, social justice and regional curriculum in mind, our coding & robotics programs are offered free to K-12 classrooms across subject areas.
Coding Project Offerings
Code To Learn offers coding opportunities in many programming languages. We use MakeCode, EarSketch (Python), Weavly, and quite frequently LYNX!
LYNX is a text-based, cloud-based coding environment that is the natural next step for kids that are ready to move on from using blocks to code but might not be quite ready to use more complex programming languages like Python or JavaScript.
LYNX is Canadian-made by the company founded by Seymour Papert—the father of educational computing. It is available in Canadian English, French, Ojibwe, Mi’kmaw, Oji-Cree, Mohawk, with other Indigenous languages to come. Check out LYNXcoding.club
In addition to the project offerings, the LYNX team is:
training FNMI students in LYNX Coding in their own language
creating LYNX Coding in Indigenous Languages
developing educational materials to support provincial curricula
CAEH has been challenged by a generous donor to raise $100,000 by December 31st. Every dollar we raise will be matched. Can you help us hit the goal? Donate here.
STORY OF ELIZABETH HAZEL:
Every time I go downtown, I’m reminded why this work matters so much.
I’m a survivor of the poisoned drug supply crisis, and I’ve lived without knowing where I was going to fall asleep at night. Unlike so many who are out in the rain, snow, and freezing temperatures tonight, I was lucky enough to have a friend let me crash in their bed while they slept on the couch for a few nights. When I got my social assistance cheque, it was enough to rent a room and start getting back on my feet.
That was back in 2015. Today, it’s effectively impossible to rent a private room, let alone a studio apartment, if you’re living off Canada’s social safety net. Homelessness would have been my inevitable outcome if I had gone through the same struggles today.
When I see someone shivering in the rain or snow, I know that could be me. That is why I not only work at the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, but why I also make a personal monthly donation too.
Everyone deserves to live with dignity, safety, and a place to call home, especially those who are suffering the way I was when I lost my health, my job, my marriage, my home, and my sense of self-worth. We deserve safety at our most vulnerable, not just when we are thriving.
I’m so proud that with our collective advocacy, Build Canada Homes is prioritizing affordable housing, with a full $1 billion earmarked for supportive housing. We need this kind of housing to keep people like me from falling into homelessness and help people without a home find a safe place they can afford.
If you’re thinking about making a year-end gift, this matching campaign makes your support go twice as far – meaning twice the opportunity, twice the hope for the communities we help, and twice the chance to end homelessness.
A brand-new supporter was moved by the momentum from Giving Tuesday and has offered a $100,000 matching gift. This means that every donation made by December 31st will be doubled – making the season of giving even more impactful.
If you’re able to contribute before the year ends, can you chip in now to help us put your generosity to work – with double the impact? This will go towards helping prevent people from falling into homelessness.
We’ve accomplished so much this year, thanks to you and your support. I’m personally grateful for everything you do to help our work and spread the message to more people across the country.
Thank you for being part of our movement and believing in this work with me, I’m so grateful to have you as an ally. It means the world to me, and to everyone at CAEH.
This site was created by SecondStreet.org, a public policy think tank and registered charity.
Since 2019, we have been working to identify government policy changes that could improve the lives of Canadians, including in the education sector.
We identified a need for a website that could help parents learn about their options when it comes to K-12 schooling – government-run schools, non-government schools, questions to ask potential schools, information on support for homeschooling and more.
You can find those details on this site and if you think there’s something important, we should add – please let us know.
Alternatively, if you would like to learn more about policies that could improve educational offerings available to parents, you can find our research if you click here. Thank you for visiting this site!
Am Learning about different Languages – including Gaelic Spelling – since it seems to be unknown and a bit Aracheaic – as it was repressed under the Crown for hundreds of years; @Language revival; similar history with native Languages in North America; like Ojbwe, cree and the Like – Kids used to be forbidden to speak their own language at school;
IRISH LANGUAGE OVERVIEW
The query “irish officially recognized language 19” does not correspond to a single factual event, but the year 1922 is significant as it was the year the first Irish Constitution was enacted, which established Irish as a “national language” and a “first official language”. This status was reaffirmed in the 1937 Constitution and has been maintained in the Republic of Ireland since.
KEY POINTS:
1922:The first Irish Constitution recognized the Irish language as the “national language” and a “first official language”.
Status:Irish remains the national and first official language of the Republic of Ireland. English is recognized as the second official language.
Official Languages Act (2003):This legislation further solidified the status of the Irish language, requiring public bodies to provide services in Irish.
European Union:Irish was made an official language of the EU in 2007 and gained full working language status in 2022.
Written Irish is first attested in Ogham inscriptions from the 4th century AD,[25] a stage of the language known as Primitive Irish. These writings have been found throughout Ireland and the west coast of Great Britain.
Old Irish
Primitive Irish underwent a change into Old Irish through the 5th century. Old Irish, dating from the 6th century, used the Latin alphabet and is attested primarily in marginalia to Latin manuscripts. During this time, the Irish language absorbed some Latin words, some via Old Welsh, including ecclesiastical terms: examples are easpag (bishop) from episcopus, and Domhnach (Sunday, from dominica).
Middle Irish
By the 10th century, Old Irish had evolved into Middle Irish, which was spoken throughout Ireland, the Isle of Man and parts of Scotland. It is the language of a large corpus of literature, including the Ulster Cycle. From the 12th century, Middle Irish began to evolve into modern Irish in Ireland, Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, and Manx on the Isle of Man.
Modern Irish, sometimes called Late Modern Irish, as attested in the work of such writers as Geoffrey Keating, is said to date from the 17th century, and was the medium of popular literature from that time on.[26][27]
Decline
From the 18th century on, the language lost ground in the east of the country. The reasons behind this shift were complex but came down to a number of factors:
Discouragement of its use by the Anglo-Irish administration.
A sign for the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in Northern Ireland, in English, Irish and Ulster Scots.
Before the partition of Ireland in 1921, Irish was recognised as a school subject and as “Celtic” in some third level institutions. Between 1921 and 1972, government in Northern Ireland was devolved. During those years, the political party holding power in the Stormont Parliament, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), was hostile to the language as it was almost exclusively used by nationalists.[71] In broadcasting, reporting minority cultural issues was prohibited and Irish was excluded from radio and television for almost the first fifty years of the devolved government.[72]
The status of Irish has often been used as a bargaining chip during government formation in Northern Ireland, prompting protests from organisations and groups such as An Dream Dearg.[75]
IRISH, LANGUAGE, HISTORY, REPRESSION, SOUNDS;
LANGUAGE REPRESSION IN EX SOVIET UNION – USSR
The USSR significantly repressed local languages through deliberate language policies that promoted Russification and Cyrillicization, especially in the late 1930s, to foster political unity and eliminate nationalist sentiments. Early efforts included shifting away from Arabic and Latin scripts to Cyrillic for Turkic and other languages, severing cultural ties and enhancing control. Later policies mandated Russian as a compulsory school subject, suppressed local media and publications, and purged non-Russian national elites accused of fostering division.
Early Soviet Period (Post-1917):
“Korenizatsiia” (Indigenization):Initially, the Soviet government promoted some national languages and scripts (e.g., Latin for Turkic languages) to foster support and identity among ethnic groups, a policy known as korenizatsiia.
Break from Religious Scripts:This included abolishing the Arabic script in the Caucasus and Central Asia, designed to distance Muslim populations from their religious heritage.
Shift Towards Russification and Cyrillicization (Late 1930s Onward): Mandatory Cyrillicization:By 1939–1940, the policy reversed, mandating Cyrillic for languages like Tatar, Kazakh, Uzbek, and Azerbaijani, thereby increasing assimilation with Russian.
Political Motivation:This change was driven by a desire to build a unified Soviet state, counter perceived threats from nationalist movements, and solidify control.
Purge of National Elites:Local leaders who championed their languages and cultures were purged between 1933 and 1938, with accusations that they were agents of foreign powers aiming to dismember the USSR.
Russification in Education and Culture:
Russian Language Education:Russian became compulsory in all Soviet schools, reflecting its dominance in administration, politics, and commerce.
Suppression of Media:The state tightly controlled printing presses and typewriters to prevent the spread of unauthorized publications in non-Russian languages.
Prohibition of “Samizdat”:The illegal circulation of literature and texts outside official channels (samizdat) was severely suppressed.
Long-Term Consequences:
Decline of Non-Russian Languages:The policies led to a decline in the use of many native languages, particularly among younger generations, and a widespread adoption of Russian as a second language.
Late Soviet Period Nuances:Despite these efforts, in the final decades of the USSR, non-Russian languages continued to thrive for their native speakers, coexisting with the almost universal use of Russian in public life, though there were attempts in the late 1970s to remove native languages from official status in some republics, which led to protests.
SOVIET UNION – LANGUAGE SUPPRESSION
CANADA – INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES – SUPPRESSION – INDIAN ACT
Language repression in Canada involved colonial policies like the Indian Act and the residential school system, which forcibly prohibited Indigenous languages and punished children for speaking them, leading to widespread cultural loss and intergenerational trauma. This systemic suppression aimed to assimilate Indigenous peoples into Canadian society, resulting in the endangerment and potential extinction of many Indigenous languages today. Efforts to counter this legacy include the Indigenous Languages Act of 2019, funding for revitalization programs, and community-led initiatives to restore pride and pass languages to future generations.
The Historical Context of Language Repression
Residential Schools:A primary tool of assimilation was the residential school system, which removed Indigenous children from their families and communities.
Prohibition and Punishment:Students were forbidden to speak their mother tongues and faced severe punishment for doing so.
Cultural Genocide:This was a deliberate attempt to destroy Indigenous cultures by silencing their languages, which is a form of cultural genocide.
Indian Act:This legislation and associated colonial policies further reinforced the ban on Indigenous languages and traditions, contributing to their decline.
IMPACT OF LANGUAGE REPRESSION
Endangered Languages:The systemic repression has led to a crisis where many of the original sixty-plus Indigenous languages are now endangered or at risk of extinction.
Intergenerational Trauma:The fear of punishment, the loss of fluency, and the shame associated with not being able to speak one’s language has contributed to significant intergenerational trauma and negative health outcomes.
Cultural Loss:Many words, traditions, and knowledge systems embedded in Indigenous languages have been lost or silenced.
Revitalization and Reclamation Efforts
REVITALIZATION AND RECLAMATION EFFORTS:
Indigenous Languages Act:In 2019, Canada passed the Indigenous Languages Act to support the preservation, revitalization, and strengthening of Indigenous languages.
Funding and Resources: Government funding and community-led initiatives provide resources for language programs, such as immersion schools, educational materials, and digital resources.
Community Involvement:Elders, language speakers, educators, and communities are actively working to revitalize languages through “language nests,” classrooms, and online platforms.
Promoting Pride and Healing: These efforts aim to restore cultural pride, rebuild self-esteem, and ease the intergenerational trauma caused by past policie
The Group of Seven was a group of Canadian Artists between the years 1920-1933. The group had more than seven artists over its formation, but the founding members included Franklin Carmichael (1890-1945) who was born in Orillia, A.Y. Jackson (1882-1974), Frederick Varley (1881-1969), Lawren Harris (1885-1970), J.E.H. MacDonald (1873-1932), Frank Johnston (1888-1949) and Arthur Lismer (1885-1969). Other artists associated with the Group of Seven included Tom Thomson (1877-1917), A.J. Casson (1898-1992), Edwin Holgate (1892-1977) LeMoine FitzGerald (1890-1956) and Emily Carr (1871-1945). Each artist within this group had their own style, but the common thread was that they were artists rooted in traditional Academic art but inspired by European Post-Impressionism and even contemporary Scandanavian landscape painting. The group was known for painting the Canadian landscape almost always void of its inhabitants. The Group of Seven helped to solidify Canada’s contribution to the artworld in the twentieth century, and their influence is still seen in many landscape artists today.
European: 52.5% of the population reported European origins, with English, Scottish, French, and Irish being the most common.
North American: 22.9% reported North American origins, including Canadian.
Asian: 19.3% reported Asian origins, with Chinese being a prominent group.
North American Indigenous: 6.1% of the population identified with North American Indigenous origins.
Visible Minorities: In 2021, 26.5% of the population belonged to visible minority groups, with South Asians, Chinese, and Black populations being the largest.
Key Statistics:
Multiple Origins: 35.5% of the population reported multiple ethnic origins.
Growth of Racialized Population: Between 2001 and 2021, the racialized population increased by 130%, while the White population increased by only 1%.
Immigrant Population: In 2021, 23% of the population were immigrants or permanent residents.
Indigenous Population: The Indigenous population grew by 9.4% between 2016 and 2021, while the non-Indigenous population grew by 5.3%.
Statistics Canada conducts a country-wide census that collects demographic data every five years on the first and sixth year of each decade. The 2021 Canadian census enumerated a total population of 36,991,981, an increase of around 5.2 percent over the 2016 figure.[6] It is estimated that Canada’s population surpassed 40 million in 2023 and 41 million in 2024.[7] Between 1990 and 2008, the population increased by 5.6 million, equivalent to 20.4 percent overall growth.[8]The main driver of population growth is immigration,[9][10] with 6.2% of the country’s population being made up of temporary residents as of 2023,[11] or about 2.5 million people.[12] Between 2011 and May 2016, Canada’s population grew by 1.7 million people, with immigrants accounting for two-thirds of the increase.[13]
bismillahschool.net 