At Monday night’s meeting of Weyburn City Council, two proclamations were made.  

The first was the National Day of Mourning, which takes place on April 28. This day commemorate workers who have been killed, injured or suffered illness due to workplace related hazards. 

“This is a day to remember the massive sacrifices given in order to make a living,” said Mayor Marcel Roy. “A day to rededicate ourselves to making Canada’s workplaces safer.” 

The second proclamation was Mental Health Awareness Week, which takes place from may 2 to 8. Tasha Collins, Director of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Weyburn Branch spoke on this week. 

“For this year’s Mental Health Week, the CMHA is asking people to get ‘real about’ how to help, related to the theme of empathy,” she said. “Sometimes the best way to help is to make people feel seen and heard.” 

She added that if someone is struggling, you don’t need to solve their problems, as understanding can be helpful and even a solution on its own.  

“We encourage everyone to bring empathy alive with the people in our lives. Be there, listen completely, and see the world through their eyes.” 

CMHA has some events planned for this week: the Mayor’s Luncheon on May 3 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., a used book sale on May 4 and 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and a mental health initiative will be launched on Monday, May 2. Through this initiative, the community will be provided with green door hangers this week, to put on their doors to raise awareness for mental health.