Verna Strickland was preparing for a wedding just a week before she lost a young relative to suicide.

"[He] and his friend were up the ladder, putting up balloons and having fun as if nothing was happening in their mind," Strickland said.

The 13-year-old boy in Strickland's family died by suicide on July 7.

John Main, Nunavut's health minister, said there were three suicides during a short period of time in Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet). In July, the territory's coroner's office said it was investigating three deaths in the community.

Strickland said the family is still hurting, but they're managing to cope with all the support they're receiving. But she said it was a loss that "nobody saw coming at all."

She describes her young relative as a funny, outgoing kid, who loves hunting and wa

See Full Page