Dès l'adoption espérée par notre Assemblée nationale du Québec, de l'Aide médicale à mourir, active et balisée, comme soin approprié de fin de vie, dans certaines circonstances, le nombre des suicides chez les finissants de la vie, chez les personnes âgées et très âgées, diminuera drastiquement, pour le bien de tous. Pour plus de dignité et de sérénité dans notre société québécoise.

Avec vous dans le la prévention contre le suicide, et gratitude aux personnes qui y consacrent coeur et énergie.

February 7, 2010




The following excerpt from the février 1, Le Devoir article: «La vigilance pour faire reculer le suicide » , which coincides with Quebec's Suicide Prevention Week, saddened and angered me because I was reminded of another story.
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Alexina Bouchard a livré un touchant témoignage sur la disparition de son jeune frère, William, à quinze ans.
«Si je suis un peu capable d’éveiller à la vigilance envers ceux et celles qui souffrent en silence, j’aurai donné un certain sens à la mort de mon frère.»

«J'ai encore beaucoup de difficulté à prononcer le mot suicide, a dit très dignement Mme Bouchard. Ce mot évoque pour moi une incapacité à avoir su lire les signes de détresses de William. Je mesure maintenant l'importance de leur prêter attention. Si je suis un peu capable d'éveiller à la vigilance envers ceux et celles qui souffrent en silence, j'aurai donné un certain sens à la mort de mon frère.»
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This is the story. Stay with me as I backtrack to four years ago and a sad scene at a funeral parlour - a young person had given up on life... As I was leaving, I noticed beside the visitor condolence book a stack of brochures from the organization Kids Help Phone - Jeunesse, J'écoute.

The valuable information in the brochures compelled me to write letters to Editors hoping to attract the attention of the Lester B. Pearson School Board. Three of them were published: "Kids Help Phone" (Hudson Gazette, Feb.14) ; "Help is out there" (The Chronicle, Feb. 14) and "Counter youth suicide with education" (Montreal Gazette, Feb. 15, 2007).

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Common to these letters, written in 2007, were these points:

"Last week was Quebec's 17th annual Suicide Prevention Week. Reports in the media underscored the necessity for greater co-operation between organizations and emphasized that resources are the key.

That said, permit me to comment on teen suicide in the West Island, accompanied with an idea that ties in with the Healthy Schools approach.
Consider: One third of deaths in Quebec among 15- to-19-year-olds is suicide. Also, take into account the startling fact from the report Portrait of West Island Youth, released last June by a committee studying youth-related needs: "West Island teens are noted for their high number of suicide attempts" and "girls made up the most frequent hospitalizations for attempted suicide in Montreal."
(The Gazette's West Island section reported on the study: "Grim portrait emerges of local teenagers," June 22, 2006.)

As a retired teacher (who is still in the classroom), it seems that students generally aren't as happy as they once were. Many of our youth lead turbulent lives; quite a few of them suffer from feelings of inadequacy and depression. As a result, despair and hopelessness set in and sometimes their young minds become quite frail. They need help and someone to talk to.

We have to use any means possible to get information and immediate support to our kids. The power of the Internet is one effective way that some school boards are utilizing to help students and parents.

For instance, the youth in Laval can easily access Tel-jeunes, which is available to them through the Laurier school board's corporate website. Tel-jeunes is a kid-friendly phone and Web counselling service for teenagers. Issues covered include alcohol/drug use, suicide, intimidation, eating disorders and street gangs.

I wonder if the Pearson board would consider creating a Kids Help Phone link on its website. The cost to the board would be nothing.

It is Canada's only toll-free, bilingual and anonymous phone and Web counselling, referral and information service for children and youth. It is manned by trained counsellors who have experience in social work, psychology, and child and youth services. Matters discussed include relationships, substance abuse, sexuality and suicide.

Help is available any hour of any day. In 2005, the group was contacted more than a million times for help by phone or online. So great was the demand that last Dec. 10, the Ontario government allocated $3 million to double its capacity to provide anonymous counselling to help students handle their physical, emotional and mental health.
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Anyway, a short while later, I received an email from Jeunesse, J'écoute:

"Because you were so helpful to us last year with spreading the word about Kids Help Phone and recruiting Student Ambassadors through English high schools in Montreal, we were wondering if you would be willing to forward on the information once again this year."

Naturally, I said ‘yes’ , and for two years volunteered about four times to forward information by email to three school-board chairpersons, (EMSB, SWLSB and LBPSB), school board commissioners, school principals, Central Parents' Committee, teacher union leaders, provincial politicians and other people who had reach. (Many of whom I had known for years, some decades.)
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Everything was fine but suddenly, without warning, in Dec. 2008, the LBPSB chairperson sent an email to the coordinator of Kids Help Phone, copied to many people including our local MNAs. This is an excerpt:

"Our Board receives many requests each year for material to be distributed to our schools. After material is viewed by the appropriate department and administrator a decision is made about the request for distribution. Please note that Mr. Eustace is NOT authorized to make such decisions, nor is he authorized to make a mass mailing distribution of materials to our schools...
It would be greatly appreciated if you would follow proper school board procedure for any future information you wish to have distributed.
Thank you for your understanding, and should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me directly." (the capitalization of the word “not” is verbatim)
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Can you imagine - "authority"?... “proper school board procedure”?... It was simply a matter of clicking 'forward'. No more - no less. I was happy to help as anyone would.

The Pearson board, though, it seems was merely attempting to isolate students from community services, other than those that they independently select to suit their own purposes. It’s the “our way or no way” mentality.
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On Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010, the LBPSB placed an advertisement in The Gazette - a gatefold. From the chairman’s infomercial:

"We've got to keep working on finding ways of expanding the reach of the school board into the community..."

Moreover : "Tabachnick hopes the newfound interest in the board will translate into inspiring people to vote in future school-board elections."


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Finally, here is some comforting news: “increased public awareness is one reason why the suicide rate among Quebec youths dropped by 12 per cent each year from 1999 to 2008” and “youth centres have become active in suicide prevention” ( “Quebec’s suicide rate has fallen”, Gazette, Feb. 1, 2010)

Simply put: «Tout de même, la situation s'améliore au Québec» (Le Devoir, Feb. 1)

For more information and help:

Tel-jeunes: 1-800-263-2266 or go to www.teljeunes.com , and

Jeunesse, J’écoute : 1-800-668-6868 or visit www.kidshelpphone.ca or www.jeunessejecoute.ca "
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Chris Eustace (ceustace@videotron.ca)
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