By Maggie Macintosh  Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Island Lake leaders say “a pandemic of suffering” is plaguing their fly-in communities and the only way to stop suicide crises in the northern First Nations is to build a regional health centre so preventative and primary care is available close to home. Chiefs from Red Sucker Lake, Garden Hill, Wasagamack and St. Theresa Point held a news conference Wednesday in Winnipeg to raise awareness about the dire state of mental health among their more than 15,000 residents. Anishininew Okimawin Grand Chief Scott Harper, who oversees the First Nations’ grand council, told reporters self-harm, addictions and other severe mental health challenges are daily concerns in all four communities he represents. In Harper’s home community of Red Sucker Lake, there have been two recent deaths

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