'We're sick of being in pain': Suicide still devastating Nunavut

The COVID-19 pandemic, the recent water crisis in Iqaluit and the decades-long housing, health and mental health crises are all factors contributing to Nunavut's ongoing suicide epidemic.

For Iqaluit youths Joseph Ashoona and Deion Pearce, the recent suicide of a beloved friend in their hockey community was their breaking point.

“This is enough, we’re drawing the line here,” Pearce said in a joint video interview with CTVNews.ca Wednesday. “We’ve lost too many friends, close friends [and] family members.”

Both youths, founding members of the group Nunavut Youth Leaders, say Nunavut is still in the grips of a suicide crisis. They helped organize a protest last month to demand better access to mental health services for young people in the territory.

“We just decided this is our time to speak up and the whole world needs to know how we are treated because it’s not right…its unfair how we are being forced to live,” Ashoona said in the video interview.