Resources |

CRISIS RESOURCES

Crisis Services Canada – Suicide Prevention and Support

http://www.crisisservicescanada.ca
Call 1.833.456.4566 (24/7)
Text 45645 (4pm – 12am EST)
Crisis Services Canada (CSC) is a collaboration of distress and crisis centres from across Canada, offering Canada’s first nationally available, regionally delivered suicide prevention service. Canada Suicide Prevention Service (CSPS) is available to anyone thinking about or affected by suicide.

BC Crisis Line

https://www.crisislines.bc.ca
800.784.2433
Members of the Crisis Line Association of BC (CLABC) have provided emotional support, crisis and suicide assessment/intervention and resource information to people at the community level for more than 40 years.

East Kootenay Crisis Line

https://kootenays.cmha.bc.ca/programs-services/crisis-line/
888.353.2273 (24/7)
Crisis Line volunteers are available to listen, help problem solve, and help make connections to community resources in the East Kootenay region. Serving the entire east Kootenay region from Golden to the Alberta & USA borders.

Trans Lifeline

https://www.translifeline.org
877.330.6366 (Canada)
Trans Lifeline is a national trans-led organization dedicated to improving the quality of trans lives by responding to the critical needs of our community with direct service, material support, advocacy, and education. Our vision is to fight the epidemic of trans suicide and improve overall life-outcomes of trans people by facilitating justice-oriented, collective community aid.

YOUTH SUPPORT & RESOURCES

Kids Help Phone

https://kidshelpphone.ca
800.668.6868
Kids Help Phone is always there for you. No matter what you want to talk about, we’re here to listen. No judgment, totally private, 24/7.

LGBT Youth Line

https://www.youthline.ca/get-support/links-resources/
LGBT Youth Line is in Ontario but has many links and resources for LGBT youth in Canada.

It Gets Better

https://itgetsbetter.org
The It Gets Better Project inspires people across the globe to share their stories and remind the next generation of LGBTQ+ youth that hope is out there, and it will get better.

Youth Space

http://youthspace.ca
We encourage and welcome all youth to chat in, no matter what your background, religion, race, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, lifestyle or culture. We are always working towards being a LGBTQ+ affirming and welcoming space by constantly learning and unlearning harmful normalized ideas of gender and sexuality.

The Sex You Want

https://thesexyouwant.ca
Getting from here to there looks different for everyone. The site has lots of information to help you figure out how to have the sex you want, and to help you and your partners think through the decisions that can impact your health.

Autostraddle

https://www.autostraddle.com
Autostraddle’s girl-on-girl culture is rooted in basic social values and ideals – we want women to feel good about themselves, we want equality and visibility for all marginalized groups and ultimately, we’d like to change the world. We seek to be a fresh, energizing voice for lesbian, bisexual and queer women, one that takes the reader seriously and encourages intelligent discourse, one that entertains with funny, uncensored and brutally honest conversation and content.

TRUTH – Trans Youth

https://ourtranstruth.org/youth/
TRUTH is a youth-led program for trans and gender nonconforming young people to build public understanding, empathy, and a movement for liberation through storytelling and media organizing.

LOCAL RESOURCES

East Kootenay Addiction Services

ekass.com | 1.800.644.6144 or 250.423.4423
East Kootenay Addiction Services Society provides free and confidential counselling to youth, adults, couples and families dealing with difficulties from their own or someone else’s substance use. In addition, we provide referrals to approved residential treatment and detox facilities, school-based educational programs, community education, outreach, harm reduction programs and our youth Teen Empowerment and Mastery Program (TEAM). Contact Kelsey at kvoysey@ekass.com.

Fernie Opt Clinic

Options for Sexual Health (Fernie) website | (250) 423-8274
Our clinics provide sexual and reproductive health services for all ages, all genders, and all orientations. Our clinicians are committed to providing you with confidential, nonjudgmental, youth-friendly, pro-choice, and sex-positive services.

Fernie Women’s Resource Centre

ferniewomenscentre.com | 1 (800) 339-7393 or (250) 423-4687
Since 1979 the Fernie Women’s Centre has been serving the communities of the Elk Valley, which include Fernie, Sparwood, Elkford and the South Country. Our aim is to raise the status of women, act as a referral and drop-in centre, offer support to women and their families, and to inform and educate the public around issues concerning women.

Alcoholics Anonymous

250.423.2131 – Fernie
250.425.2529 – Sparwood

Christ Church Anglican

Minister Andrea Brennan
250.423.6517
591 4^th Ave Fernie, BC
https://www.christchurchfernie.ca
We are a community of welcome and life. Our Mission is simple – to love and serve God and our neighbours as deeply as God loves and cares for us. Come as you are – all are welcome!

Knox United Church

Minister Andrea Brennan
250.423.6010
201 2nd Ave Fernie, BC
https://www.knoxunitedferniebc.ca
office@knoxunitedferniebc.ca
United Church of Canada clergy are able to officiate marriages at the church or anywhere in the Elk Valley without discrimination based on gender and sexual identity. Open to the Spirit, love and justice, united in our diversity we live our faith serving each other and the wider community.

LOCAL COUNSELLING SERVICES

Alpine Pathways Psychological Services – Fernie

Tyla Charbonneau – Registered Psychologist
https://www.alpinepathwayspsychology.com/therapy

Crowsnest Counselling Services – Crowsnest Pass

David Combden – Registered Psychologist
http://www.crowsnestcounselling.ca

REGIONAL RESOURCES

Ankors

ankorsvolunteer.com | (250) 426-3383
ANKORS’ mission is to respond to the evolving needs of those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C and other blood-borne pathogens; and to foster healthy, informed communities.

Calgary Outlink

calgaryoutlink.ca | (403) 234-8973
Calgary Outlink is an LGBTQ community hub providing peer support, information, and resources to LGBTQ community of Calgary and southern Alberta. Outlink includes resources for local chapters of PFLAG and transgender support groups.

Living Positive

Living Positive website | (778) 753-5830
Having started as an HIV/AIDS service organization in 1992, we have since expanded our mandate to serve individuals in the Central Okanagan living with and/or at risk of HIV, Hepatitis C, and other STBBIs experiencing concerns relating to housing, income, nutrition, health care, addictions and mental health.

Outlet | Pridenet

Pridenet Youth Contacts (PDF) | (250) 421-3172 (ask for Lina)
A place for young gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, two-spirited, and questioning youth to get answers in a safe and completely confidential environment. You can find the support you need and meet people just like you. You don’t have to be out to be heard.

BC RESOURCES

BC Crisis Line (toll-free)

1-800-784-2433

Men’s Health Initiative

menshealthinbc.com | (778)753-5830 (ext 105)
The Men’s Health Initiative is dedicated to the healthcare needs and concerns of gay, bi, and other non-self-identified men who have sex with men.

Prideline BC

1-800-566-1170 toll-free in BC or 604-684-6869 in the Lower Mainland
Peer support, information and referrals for anyone in BC
Available weeknights (Monday to Friday) from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm

QMUNITY: BC’s Queer Resource Centre

qmunity.caor | (604) 684-5307
Facebook and Twitter: Qmunity
Information, education, support groups, advocacy and referrals for lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and questioning youth, adults and older adults and allies.

Trans Care BC

Trans Care BC website | 1 (866) 999-1514
Trans Care BC aims to enhance the coordination of trans health services and supports across the province, bringing gender-affirming care closer to home wherever possible.NOTE: Trans Care BC has great connectivity groups in both Cranbrook and Nelson. Contact the Fernie Pride Society for more information.

CANADIAN RESOURCES

Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition

rainbowhealth.ca
The Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition/Coalition santé arc-en-ciel Canada (CRHC / CSAC) is a national organization whose objective is to address the various health and wellness issues that people who have sexual and emotional relationships with people of the same gender, or a gender identity that does not conform to the identity assigned to them at birth, encounter.

PFLAG Canada

pflagcanada.ca
Facebook: PFLAG CANADA
Information and support for parents, families, friends, co-workers and others. PFLAG chapters are located across BC and Canada. Find contact information on the PFLAG Canada website.

Seniors Pride Network

seniorpridenetwork.com
The Senior Pride Network is committed to promoting appropriate services and a positive, caring environment for older lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer people in Toronto and throughout Canada.

Trans Lifeline: Transgender Suicide Hotline

1-877-330-6366
Trans Lifeline is exclusively for transgender people and staffed entirely by transgender operators. With nearly 60 volunteers working worldwide across many time zones and 350 more signed up for training, it’s the first helpline with this level of specificity.

Transgender Canada

transgendercanada.com
A forum website for transgendered people in Canada.

INTERNATIONAL RESOURCES

LGBTQ+ Comprehensive Health & Well-being Guide
The world has changed a lot in the last few years for lesbian, gay, transgender and questioning individuals, for the better in a lot of ways. Yet, significant challenges remain in the quest for equality and its effects on well-being. Sexual and gender minorities face legal discrimination in many areas, and the battle for equality is far from over. The U.S. attorney general has worked to roll back legal protections, for example, and the president has announced a ban on transgender individuals in the military.