A message as simple as: “Don’t give up.”
Amanda Sanderson, of Saskatoon, is hoping to spread positive messages of hope on the Broadway Bridge to prevent future suicides.
She’s asking the community to come together and join her on the bridge on September 8th, with a sign decorated with a message of hope.
For Sanderson, the project called “Messages of HOPE” hits close to home. She said she nearly lost her teenage daughter to suicide.
Her inspiration to start the project came from a suicide prevention campaign she saw in Australia, she said.
While Broadway Bridge is a Saskatoon landmark, police also respond there to reports of possible suicide attempts.
Year-to-date there have been 328 attempted suicide calls in Saskatoon and in 2017 there were 682, said a Saskatoon police spokesperson.
Suicide was the cause of 34 deaths in 2017 and 40 in 2016, according to the Chief Coroner’s Office.
That’s something Sanderson wants to end.
“If you see the sign, you’re going to know that someone out there doesn’t want you to do that, that you have so much to live for,” she said.
Sanderson isn’t alone.
Katie Salmers, a woman who reached out to city councilors earlier this year with a similar idea, says she’s supportive of the project.
Salmers proposed plaques that would include a message of hope and support, along with a crisis intervention phone number.
Salmers said she was inspired by the idea after moving into an apartment with a view of the Broadway Bridge and witnessing emergency crews responding to people in distress on the bridge.
A hurdle for both advocates is city bylaws.
According to the City of Saskatoon’s website, temporary signs must be self-supported and not attached to city property.
Sanderson says for now, those involved will have to carry their signs, but she plans on contacting city officials to create something more permanent.
