The devastating Toronto attack that hit the Yonge and Finch area has us re-evaluating the urgency of the mental health workshops we run. First, let us preface this post by making it very clear that this is not a sales pitch for our workshops. It matters less to us where people get their training from, and more that they GET the training. Period.
Here’s why.
The Toronto attack happened very close to home for us. Although we are a Guelph organization our founder, Shawna Percy, grew up in the Toronto area. In fact, she grew up right there at Yonge and Finch. She was there for the vigil. She walked her familiar path down Yonge Street. She stopped at her regular spots. The bubble tea place. The Loblaws at Empress. The Subway station at Yonge and Finch, and then at North York Centre. The Starbucks at Mel Lastman Square. And it was that experience, waiting in the Starbucks, that she realized something.
At first glance it seemed like the staff at Starbucks were doing exceptionally well given the tragedy that had just happened only steps away from their front door. The place was bustling. It seemed as though they had every staff on hand. And then Shawna met Dave.
It was Dave who explained he was not from this store. It was Dave who explained that Starbucks had pulled 22 staff from other locations, from downtown Toronto to Ajax, to step in for their staff who could not work. They could not work because they had witnessed the events of April 23rd. They could not work because they were experiencing trauma from the Toronto attack.
This got us thinking. What about all the smaller businesses that make up the shopping strip down Yonge. What about all those business owners who don’t have other staff to step in? What about Starbucks who does, and still has staff who need time to process and work through what happened? What about all the people who saw the scene from their condo building or office tower? What about all the bystanders, and people who walked by the aftermath? What about people like our founder who live out of the city, but are still deeply impacted by the events that unfolded. And what about all the people who weren’t, who could be resources, helpers, mental health first aiders to those who will need that type of support in the days, weeks, months, and years to come?
If you haven’t already we urge you to consider getting trained in an evidence-based mental health workshop.
You can search for our Guelph workshops by clicking here. Or, visit the LivingWorks website for ASIST, safeTALK, and Suicide to Hope workshops happening across Canada. Or, visit the Mental Health Commission of Canada website for Mental Health First Aid workshops across the country.
We never want a crisis to happen. We also never want to be in a crisis position without knowing how to respond. We can’t control if and when a crisis occurs. We can control whether or not we equip ourselves with the tools needed to know how to respond in the most helpful way.
To all those affected by the Toronto attack we stand by you. We are one of you. And we hold hope for you in the midst of your immense pain.