Everyone deserves the opportunity to live long, healthy and rewarding lives. Sept. 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, an opportunity to learn about the supports available for those facing mental-health or substance-use issues in B.C.

Minister of Children and Family Development Stephanie Cadieux has issued the following statement in response to the release of the Representative for Children and Youth’s (RCY’s) report that investigates the suicide of a First Nations youth in 2013:

September is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Prevention and Support month, an opportunity for communities throughout the province and the world to work together to raise awareness about the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy and to support those who live with FASD every day.

Kids will soon be swapping the great outdoors for the classroom as summer draws to a close and the new school year begins. With the summer break nearly over, many working parents and caregivers will be searching for child care.

Andrew Cronkhite, director of programs for the Burnaby Youth Secure Custody Centre, released this statement in response to the incident that occurred last night at the centre:

Children and Family Development Minister Stephanie Cadieux issued the following statement on the advisory council that was appointed to support the development of a multi-year plan to improve child welfare in British Columbia:

Happy kids mean happy families, and that’s why the B.C. government has provided $1.49 million to the Canadian Mental Health Association BC Division (CMHABC) to support the ‘Confident Parents: Thriving Kids’ program, which helps parents address behavioural problems in kids aged three to 12.

This year, more than 640,000 B.C. kids are looking forward to their summer break.

The Province and partners collectively will be investing more than $7.5 million to support youth who are at risk of substance-use and mental-health concerns with the launch of a new, Integrated Youth Services Initiative.