The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, November 15, 2012 · 4 By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Society needs to start talking about suicide Former Ontario premier, now Liberal Party of Canada Interim Leader Bob Rae was in town Friday and called for more to be done to help those with mental illness. Rae was the keynote speaker at the Halton Suicide Prevention Coalition's annual meeting where some 250 Halton police officers, school board and social services personnel, as well as suicide survivors, packed the Oakville Conference Centre. Rae spoke about how society's unwillingness to talk about suicide, and the mental health issues that lead to it, appears to be hampering prevention. "Approximately 4,000 people a year commit suicide in this country. That's four times the number of people who are killed on the road," said Rae. "Think of the number of ads you see on television against drunk driving. Think of the number of advertisements we have made as a society to reduce the number of people killed in highway accidents... You won't hear people talk publicly about how many people commit suicide every year." It was noted that 90 per cent of people who commit suicide have at least one psychiatric diagnosis and the link between suicide and mental illness is an issue, Rae said, noting mental health receives only seven per DAVID LEA / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @halton_photog talking about suicide: Liberal Party Interim Leader Bob Rae, left, and Dr. Amy Cheung, University of Toronto Associate Professor of Psychiatry spoke at Friday's annual meeting of the Halton Suicide Prevention Coalition. cent of Canada's healthcare dollars. Years ago, Rae said, those with mental illness were out of sight, locked in institutions or the upstairs rooms of their families' homes. Times have changed, he said, but not for the better. Today, the street serves as the new venue where many with mental illness remain out of sight. "The biggest issues for mental health in this community are getting a place to live and a place to work. We don't have programs by and large in our society that allow people to get a place to live and we don't have enough programs to help people get back to work," said Rae. "If you are mentally ill, you are more likely to be poor, to be completely marginalized, to be ostracized by your family because they don't know what to do with you, to be ostracized by your friends because they are bewildered by what has happened to you, and you don't have a place to live, you don't have a place to work and you don't have a place to go." Rae called on the government to begin funding medication and housing for people with mental illness and also said Canada needs a justice system that keeps those with mental illnesses out of prison by giving judges the option of sentencing them to the treatment they require. Mostly, Rae said, people need to be able to discuss suicide and mental illness and people have to be willing to listen. Rae said he had a bout of depression when he was younger and was warned not to disclose this as it might impede his career. Rae said he believes he has done well. "This has been a long battle and a long struggle for our society because while it is socially acceptable to say, `Well yes, I have a broken arm,' or `I've had cancer,' and everybody can understand that and say, `Yes you are sick,' it is much harder for our society to talk about and come to terms with mental health," said Rae. "There are some occupations (soldiers, police) where it is traditionally much harder for people to admit they are having a tough time." See Suicide page 8 Call today for your personal tour. We'd love to have you join us! · Enjoy our fresh home cooked meals- never catered · Daily housekeeping including linen and laundry service · Our spacious sun filled facility · Nursing staff 24 hours a day for your peace of mind Retirement Living 380 Sherin Drive, Oakville, Ontario (905) 847-1413 www.vistamere.ca At Its Best