1 in 4 Ontario farmers contemplated suicide in past 12 months: study
There’s no way around it — Farming is one of the most stressful occupations on the planet.
“Seventy six per cent of farmers are self identifying as having moderate to high stress levels. In general, that is much higher stress levels than the general population,” said Ontario Federation of Agriculture President Peggy Brekveld.
And that’s not the most concerning number, said Brekveld.
“I think the really scary number is from the most recent study done by Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton from the University of Guelph, that talks about one in four farmers in the last 12 months, at some point, said they weren’t sure their life was worth living. That’s scary,” she said.
That study helped expedite the creation of Agriculture Wellness Ontario. A suite of mental health programs designed specifically for Ontario farmers, which include mental health workshops, a volunteer suicide prevention program and a 24/7 free counselling phone line.
“People can call while they’re in the field, or in the barn, in the middle of the night if they’d like. It’s available all of the time,” said Kristin Wheatcroft, agriculture wellness Ontario lead for the Canadian Mental Health Association.
The partnership between the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and Canadian Mental Health Association is the first of its kind in the province, reaching every farm and field across the countryside and addressing the unique challenges farmers face.
“I think the reality of living rurally really impacts this community. Access to supports is more challenging,” said Wheatcroft.
“It’s all about the climate and the weather. You can have one big storm come up and destroy the crops you worked all year for. Sometimes it’s animal health. We’ve had that on our farm, where we couldn’t figure out what the mystery disease was, impacting our herd,” said Brekveld.
“If you are a farmer or farm family, these services are available for you,” said Wheatcroft.
“There is hope and there are ways to see light at the end of the tunnel and this program, I like to think, is one way to say you can come through this. You’re not alone,” Brekveld added.
Mental health resources for farmers:
To learn more you can visit www.agriculturewellnessontario.ca or by calling the 24/7 farmer help line at 1-866-267-6255.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 (or 988 beginning July 16, 2022) or Canada's Talk Suicide 1-833-456-4566. The following resources are also available to support people in crisis:
Hope for Wellness Helpline: (English, French, Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut): 1-855-242-3310
Embrace Life Council hotline: 1-800-265-3333
Trans Lifeline: 1-877-330-6366
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.