Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention

History

The origins of the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP) can be traced to an International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) meeting in Ottawa in 1979. This was the first major suicide prevention event in Canada, and sparked talks about setting up a national organization. Primarily through the efforts of Jim Brown of Winnipeg and Diane Syer of Toronto, CASP was incorporated in 1985; however, because Syer left Canada for the United States and Brown chose another area of study, CASP ceased to function by 1986.

In 1987, Marcia Krawll, Brian Mishara, Linda Rosenfeld, Bob Sims, Bryan Tanney and Antoon Leenaars met in Lake Louise, Alberta, and later in Quebec to bring back CASP. A five-year plan was developed focusing on the following initiatives: building membership; networking and communication; developing conferences; addressing suicide among First Nations and Inuit Canadians; promoting research and improving operational structures.

CASP was formally re-established by Leenaars at a June 1988 meeting in Montreal hosted by Suicide Action, Montreal. Leenaars was named president; the first office of CASP was in his home in Windsor, Ontario. Later, the Suicide Information and Education Centre (SIEC) in Calgary served as the headquarters of CASP for its early years. In 1989, CASP's first regional conference was held in Toronto, chaired by Isaac Sakinofsky.

The first CASP national conference in 1990 was called "Lifting the silence" and was held in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was chaired by Krawll, Rosenfeld and Tanney. The keynote was delivered by American suicidology pioneer Edwin S. Shneidman. About 500 people, mostly caregivers, clinicians and researchers, attended.

This is a list of CASP annual conferences and their respective host cities:

• 1988 – Montreal
• 1989 – Toronto
• 1990 – Vancouver
• 1991 – Moncton, New Brunswick
• 1992 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• 1993 – Montreal, Quebec
• 1994 – Iqaluit, Northwest Territories
• 1995 – Banff, Alberta
• 1996 – Toronto, Ontario
• 1997 – Thunder Bay, Ontario
• 1998 – Winnipeg, Manitoba
• 1999 – Halifax, Nova Scotia
• 2000 – Vancouver, British Columbia
• 2001 – St. John's Newfoundland
• 2002 – Fredericton, New Brunswick
• 2003 – Iqaluit, Nunavut
• 2004 – Edmonton, Alberta
• 2005 – Ottawa, Ontario
• 2006 – Toronto, Ontario
• 2007 – Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
• 2008 – Quebec City, Quebec
• 2009 – Brandon, Manitoba
• 2010 – Halifax, Nova Scotia
• 2011 – Vancouver, British Columbia
• 2012 – Niagara Falls, Ontario
• 2013 – Winnipeg, Manitoba
• 2014 – Virtual/Online conference
• 2015 – Montreal, Quebec (coincided with IASP conference)
• 2016 – Iqaluit, Nunavut
• 2017 – Toronto, Ontario
• 2018 – St. John's, Newfoundland
• 2019 – Edmonton, Alberta
• 2020 - Virtual
• 2022 - Montreal, Quebec
• 2023 - Halifax, Nova Scotia
• 2024 - Vancouver, British Columbia
• 2025 - Richmond Hill, Ontario