Calls for 24-7 mental health crisis line for agriculture sector as stress levels soar with drought
Alberta NDP agriculture critic Heather Sweet capped off a four day tour of southern Alberta Thursday, by calling on the UCP government to implement a 24-7 Mental Health Crisis Line specifically for people working in the ag-sector.
“There’s a stigma around mental health generally,” said Sweet. “We must break it and we must address it.”
The NDP also renewed their proposal for the government to provide five insured mental health sessions for all Albertans.
Sweet has been touring central and southern Alberta this week, to hear directly from farmers and ranchers about how they are being impacted by this summer’s drought.
“It has hit all parts of our agricultural sector,” added Sweet.
Coaldale farmer Tory Campbell said he is lucky to be living his dream life as a farmer, but added it’s not always easy.
“I’ve sat next to a grain bin that has bugs in it, and I’ve cried,” said Campbell. He said people sometimes overestimate the resilience of farmers or ranchers.
“I’ve watched as a north wind carried away my canola crop, a west wind shattered my wheat, a south wind ravaged my flax crop.”
Grasshoppers in southern Alberta, August 12, 2021
Campbell said he has stayed awake at night, thinking about how he was going to make the business work, “I know that what I’ve seen and lost pales in comparison to the struggles that many others have faced.”
Campbell, also a Lethbridge County councillor, said rural municipalities and farm groups have been calling for a 24-7 mental health line for agriculture for a few years.
“As a farmer and a local councillor, I know implementing this is more important than ever,” he added.
DO MORE AGRICULTURE FOUNDATION
The Do More Agriculture Foundation is a national charity that addresses mental health in agriculture and is currently working to implement a 24/7 mental health crisis line called AgTalk.
Adelle Stewart is the executive director of the Do More Agriculture Foundation.
“Producers in Alberta and all across Canada experience higher rates of mental illness than almost any other industry,” she said.
Steward added the province lacks access to agriculture specific mental health support and research shows that farmers are more likely to get help for mental health from someone who understands the industry.
“Agriculture producers need us to come together and offer this program in efforts to fulfill the national recommendations, save lives, and improve the quality of lives for farmers before we lose one more.”
Sweet suggested the challenges of the drought warrant more, and quicker action by the provincial government.
Campbell said while the struggle is real now, the impact will be lasting, and could put a bigger strain on many producers.
“This is something we will be seeing for a number of years. We are going to see seed stocks depleted. We are going to need ample moisture to replenish the reserves that we’ve exhausted.”
The Rural Municipalities of Alberta passed a resolution in the spring of 2019 calling for a mental health crisis hotline.
Campbell said the government wasn’t willing to invest the funds at that time, but rural leaders consider it a very simple, straightforward request.
“We think that it’s a very doable ask, and we think its something that needs to be taken care of sooner, rather than later.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Slovakia's populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt, shocking Europe before elections
Slovakia's populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday after a political event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe.
Transport Canada's UFO 'lead' planned to meet with U.S. intel officials, called info requests a 'wild goose chase'
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver handed a cell phone ticket for using points app in McDonald's drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
'The Fly' has become notorious in France after a brazen escape. What's his criminal history?
A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead.
BREAKING Ontario's 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
Barge hits a bridge in Texas, damaging the structure and causing an oil spill
A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a smaller and separate island that is home to a university, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Person responsible for 1996 drugging of 'Titanic' crew likely not a local: Halifax police
Halifax Regional Police believe a non-resident could be responsible for the infamous drugging of numerous crew members of the 'Titanic' movie with a hallucinogenic in 1996.
Latest updates on the biggest wildfires burning in Canada
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
OPINION If you think you can’t focus for long, you’re right: Sandee LaMotte
Regaining your focus requires you to be mindful of how you are using technology -- a daunting task if you consider the average American spends at least 10 hours a day on screens.