CBC reports that more than 70% of universities do not track student suicides, leaving these institutions without critical data for understanding and addressing the issue. Of the 52 universities that CBC reached out to, only 15 said that they tracked student suicides, with six able to provide figures forto publication. “If you’re not paying attention to what’s going on in terms of the mental health of your students, then you’re not in a position to be able to try to improve that mental health,” said University of Ottawa Associate Professor Zachary Kaminsky. Canadian Mental Health Association research associate Corey McAuliffe asserted that government bodies should fund mental health services for youth at postsecondary institutions, as they are commonly of the age when they are most likely to be first diagnosed with a mental health problem.
