Family at loss as Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation declares a state of emergency amid suicide crisis
Posted April 9, 2026 6:53 pm.
Warning: This article deals with suicide. If you are thinking about suicide or are worried about someone, help is available 24/7 at 1-866-277-3553, by text at 535353, or by chat at suicide.ca.
A northern Manitoba First Nation is in crisis, as a string of suicides has now prompted a state of emergency. One family is now speaking out, demanding answers.
“What drove him to this decision? He was a very happy guy,” said Russel Bonner, who lost his nephew to suicide.
Wednesday, Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation Chief Angela Levasseur declared the state of emergency.
Chief called the official state of emergency a response to a “devastating and ongoing mental health crisis” and went on to say that, “three lives have been lost to suicide in the last two weeks, four lives in the last month, five lives in the last six months”.
“There is a lot of shock in the community with the recent string of suicides in our community,” said Bonner.
The community is working on building local capacity by increasing access to mental health.
Chief Levasseur said in a statement, “Since declaring a state of emergency, we have been actively working with our partners to bring additional mental health supports into our community. We are beginning to see resources mobilize, but we know there is still much more work to be done to meet the needs of our people.”
However, Bonner says, “The people right now, everybody is trying to pull together, to find a solution.”
MKO confirmed to CityNews Thursday that their mobile crisis response team members were deployed in Nelson House since Tuesday, while a statement from Indigenous Services Canada says, “We are deeply troubled by the mental health crisis in Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, which has resulted in tragic losses of life. We have offered assistance to community leadership and are working with the First Nation on immediate and long-term supports needed for mental health.”
Bernadette Smith, Manitoba’s Minister of Housing, Addictions, and Homelessness, adds, “We can ensure that we’re part of the solution, right, it’s all hands on deck. We’re all partners, and these are Manitobans. We want to ensure that we are making sure that they are getting the sports they need.”
The community is home to about 3,600 people. Bonner said the news of his nephew’s passing had him at a loss and in disbelief, and now the family is looking for answers.
“It’s very hard. We are still trying to understand what led him to make this decision. That he could not reach out to us or a friend or someone else,” said Bonner.
Russel says his nephew, who passed on March 21, worked in community services, had six children, with his youngest being only 2-years-old. He was 39-years-old at the time of his passing.
“It was unbelievable. I did not want to believe it when I got the news,” said Bonner.
