Battling mental trauma after Barrie tornado
As crews continue to pick up the pieces and start to rebuild what was lost in Barrie's recent tornado, officials are working towards making access to mental health support as easy as possible.
Dozens turned out to St. Gabriel's School Thursday afternoon for 'Healing After Trauma: Regaining Your Mental Health After a Disaster,' a community event spearheaded by Barrie's Ward 1 councillor, Jim Harris.
"This is really very simple. We can see the impact of the tornado, the physical impact, the shingles, the roofs, the cars, the damage, but there's also the personal impact," says Harris, who also works for New Path Youth & Family Services, one of the agencies making their support available. "We wanted to make sure that our families and children, our community knows that there are services available to help them through this very challenging time."
In addition to New Path Youth & Family Services, Catholic Family Services and Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care representatives were also at Thursday's community event.
"I understand the importance of talking about events when they happen, and the power of actually taking control over an event like this or feeling like you have some control over the vents that happen after an event like this," says Stephanie Quito, a 9-1-1 dispatcher whose home was damaged in the tornado. "You have to come out and talk; you have to talk to your neighbours."
For those who were unable to attend Thursday's gathering or who may decide they need help at a later day, officials say that there will be further information sessions in the weeks ahead.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
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 which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.