Media Release: Continued Commitment to 9-8-8 Helps Ensure No One Faces a Suicide Crisis Alone
Continued Commitment to 9-8-8 Helps Ensure No One Faces a Suicide Crisis Alone
Vancouver, BC — January 16, 2026 — At the Crisis Centre of BC, the reality of suicide is heard every day in the voices of people who reach out late at night, during a break at work, or in moments when everything feels like it might fall apart. They are parents, youth, veterans, elders, and caregivers, people who are not looking for answers, but for someone to listen and help them stay safe.
Every day in Canada, an average of 13 people die by suicide, and more than 250 others attempt it. Those numbers are not abstract. They represent real lives and real moments of crisis, and they are why accessible, compassionate support like the 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline matters so deeply.
The Crisis Centre of BC is grateful for today’s announcement confirming continued federal funding for the 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline, a commitment that affirms the importance of accessible, compassionate support for people across Canada who are experiencing overwhelming distress or thoughts of suicide.
Since its launch in November 2023, 9-8-8 has answered more than 800,000 calls and texts, each one representing a moment when someone chose connection instead of isolation. While 9-8-8 is a national number, it is delivered through a network of community-based crisis centres, including the Crisis Centre of BC. These local centres are essential to ensuring the service works from coast to coast to coast, grounding national access in local realities through human connection, cultural awareness, and trauma-informed care.
“Today’s announcement is a powerful vote of confidence in community-based suicide prevention and crisis care,” said Stacy Ashton, Executive Director of the Crisis Centre of BC, who spoke at the 9-8-8 funding announcement in Delta today. “The Crisis Centre of BC, along with eight other crisis centres across the province, answers calls and texts to 9-8-8. What makes this program so effective is that it builds on decades of experience. Crisis centres across Canada have been providing suicide intervention and 24/7 crisis support for more than 50 years. This continued investment strengthens our ability to show up for people in their most vulnerable moments and transforms what we are able to do in our communities.”
National investment has made it possible for trained responders across the country to meet people where they are, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
For the Crisis Centre of BC, this work is deeply relational. It is one person holding space with another through a moment of fear. It is a conversation that slows things down enough for someone to breathe, to feel heard, and to take the next step toward safety. Continued investment ensures that when someone reaches out, whether for themselves or for someone they love, there will be a trained responder on the other end of the line, ready to listen.
If you or someone you know needs support, call or text 9-8-8, anytime, anywhere in Canada.
Media Contact
Stacy Ashton
Executive Director, Crisis Centre of BC
604-872-1811 x224
Jeffrey Preiss
Director, Development & Communications
604-872-1811 x222
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