Wellington County’s Safe Communities committee is expanding its efforts to address the three priorities it will tackle to prevent accidents and deaths in the county.
The committee has prioritized self harm (suicides), on-and-off road vehicle accidents, and falls as areas it will focus on with local safe community groups in the county’s lower tier municipalities. Of the county’s seven municipalities, five have a local safe community or COP committee.
At the Jan. 23 meeting in Aboyne, committee members heard a presentation from Arthur resident Myrna Hutchison whose son Steven, took his own life at the age of 18 in February of last year when he was attending university. She was accompanied by Steven’s friend Ryan Tedesco.
Hutchison and her husband Stu, along with other family members and friends, including Tedesco, established the #GetInTouchforHutch committee to raise awareness about the stigma surrounding mental health and to get the message out to those suffering from mental illness on how to get help. A five-kilometre walk or run event was hosted in Arthur on June 29 last year and attracted 600 participants, raising $65,000.
“In February 2013, I lost my son, and Ryan lost his best friend Steven, to suicide,” Hutchison told committee members. “This came as a total shock to everyone who knew Steven. He was a beautiful, blonde-haired boy who had a smile that would light up any room, was gifted both in academics and Sports, and always surrounded by lots of friends and family who loved him. So as we stand her today, almost a year after Steven’s passing, we are still wondering how or why this ever could have happened to us.”
Hutchison said the committee has worked hard to find out how widespread the issue of mental health is and its impact on society.
“We have learned that one in five Ontario children under the age of 19 experiences a mental, emotional, or behavioural disorder that is severe enough to seriously affect the way they function on a daily basis at home, school or within the community,” Hutchison added. “Through additional research, we also understand that after accidents, suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 10 to 19. We have worked hard over the last year, getting out within our communities to share our story and provide tools and resources for those who may be struggling.”
Since then the group has erected board advertisements at the arenas in Arthur and Mount Forest that provide information with contacts where people can get help. The organization also plans to put up posters in arena dressing rooms with similar information.
Safe Communities co-chair Gary Williamson said the committee is interested in assisting with the effort and to broaden it to cover the “10 or 12 arenas” in the county. The committee approved the idea pending the estimated cost of participating. Williamson speculated it could cost between $2,000 to $3,000.
The committee expected to hear whether its budget request of $25,000 from the county would be approved by county council at its meeting Jan. 30.
The committee, under the direction of co-chair OPP Sergeant Jack Hunjan, also discussed possible memberships on subcommittees that will deal with the specific priorities.
The members were looking at issues to address once the subcommittees are struck and subcommittee chairs assigned. A decision on subcommittees is expected when the committee meets again in March.
