Suicide Rates Stabilize in Northwest Territories, But Remain Alarmingly High

According to a new report from the Northwest Territories' chief coroner, suicide rates in the territory appear to have stabilized over the past two years. In 2024, 10 people died by suicide, the same number as in 2023. This is a significant improvement from the "alarming" upsurge in suicides the territory experienced in the 21 months prior to October 2022, when 29 people died by suicide.

However, the current suicide rate in the Northwest Territories is still much higher than the national average, translating to about 22 deaths per 100,000 people, compared to the national average of about half that. The territory's suicide rate is the second highest in the country, next only to Nunavut.

Of the 10 suicides reported in 2024, seven were men, and the majority of the men who died by suicide were over the age of 40. Men's wellness facilitator Dennis Allen says getting men to open up about their mental health is a challenge, as they often have unresolved grief from the high number of deaths in the North.

The Northwest Territories government has been working to make mental health services more accessible and increase the number of Indigenous counselors, particularly in the Beaufort Delta region, which has historically had higher suicide rates. About half of the nearly 30 counselors in the region today are Indigenous, a significant improvement from the past.