Eskasoni seeking answers as suicides continue

The recent suicides of three young people in Eskasoni has some people wondering why a new youth centre remains closed.

Three young people in the First Nation community in Cape Breton took their lives in the last month. There were four other suicides in the past year.

The new youth centre sits behind the health centre.Work on the building is complete, but youth worker Inkin Young said he's heard there's no money to hire staff or run programs.

Inkin would like to see the centre open 24 hours a day as a place for young people to go and families to learn about issues such as suicide.

It could also offer a crisis line, he said.

"We have 1,500 kids here on the reserve and just a handful of trained people, and we have to have our own people," Young said.

Elizabeth Marshall was at a meeting a few weeks ago to discuss treaties, but everyone wanted to talk about the numbers of young people killing themselves.

Within two weeks, two more were dead, including Marshall's 21-year-old stepdaughter.

Prescription pill abuse

Marshall said the band council needs to get answers from the community.

"They needed to have met a long time ago and they need to meet with the community, not just the helpers and the caregivers, because whatever has been happening is not working. I think that's very evident," she said.

Some residents say prescription drug abuse is killing even more young people.

"In general, the community suffers a lot of prescription pill abuse," said RCMP Staff Sgt. Dan Morrow, adding he believes some deaths are related to substance abuse.

The RCMP has charged 17 people with drug trafficking in the past year.

Marshall doesn't believe drugs were a factor in her stepdaughter's death. But she said she's ready to help fight the community's drug problem and do whatever it takes to help Eskasoni's young people.

At least two community groups plan to meet next week to see if they can find solutions.

The band hasn't made a public comment or statement yet.