The mayor of Faro, Yukon, is calling on the territorial government to address the lack of mental health services in his community.
It comes on the two-year anniversary of a fatal shooting in the small community that left two people dead and one injured.
“We were promised help right away,” said Mayor Jack Bowers.
“For a short time, help was here, but the reality is there’s such a shortage of health care workers, including social workers and mental health workers. We have neither at the moment.”
In Faro’s October newsletter, Bowers wrote that the mental health worker who had been working in Faro had left the job after being forced to serve more communities than she had agreed to.
Bowers said the only mental health support now available to residents is from a social worker who travels from Whitehorse once or twice a month for a day or so.
“We understand why, but it certainly doesn’t make it any easier,” he said.
The mayor believes the lack of a counsellor or support worker is having an impact on residents, especially those still traumatised by the shootings two years ago.
Bowers said this leads to community members stepping up to support each other.
“It’s often the health care worker herself,” he explained.
“It can be the pastor. It can be teachers or friends. Even the RCMP, in many cases, act as counsellors and help those who are struggling to cope better.”
Bowers said until more professional help is available, they’ll have to do what they can to continue to support residents.
He said it’s also what the two deceased victims of the 2021 Faro shooting – Saengduean Honchaiyaphum and Patrick McCracken – would have wanted.
“Pat and Sang would both want us to continue to support each other and help where we can,” he said. “In honour of their memory, that’s what we intend to do.”
Staffing gaps, says government
Cameron Grandy, director of mental wellness and substance use for the Yukon government, said there are usually two counsellors serving the communities of Ross River and Faro.
He told CBC News that they usually travel to the communities every two weeks, unless there are more calls for support – in which case they’ll travel weekly.
Grandy said there is also a mental health nurse who normally travels to Faro once a month.
He acknowledged that there are gaps in staffing, which his department is looking into.
In the meantime, Grandy said Faro residents have other ways to access mental health support.
“We also have virtual services that are fairly quick to access and face-to-face services through Whitehorse,” he said.
“Faro seems to be embracing the rapid access phone and video counselling services.”
Grandy said it’s important for all Faro residents, and all Yukoners, to know there’s always a number to call when mental health support is needed.
