THE BURNS WAY - New hope for all veterans

An app has been named after Earl Burns, a veteran from the James Smith Cree Nation (JSCN) who was one of the victims who died in the 2022 stabbing tragedy.

     The Burns Way app will allow all veterans and their families across Canada to access mental health and wellness services.

According to the Burns Way website, the demand for services is high, and there aren’t enough mental health professionals available.

     “The Burns Way is a new and innovative initiative that will bring together Indigenous, non-Indigenous and Minority partners to improve access to mental health support for veterans right across Canada,” the website stated. “The Burns Way seeks to build trust in the availability of services and puts the veteran in control of their journey to wellness.”

  The Burns Way app is available for download on iOS and Android devices, or you can access it through a desktop browser.   

     “It’s to help us get things out of our head that are just rolling around, and to help us vent to make our day a lot better so we can move forward and not have all these scenarios in our heads that are caused from triggers,” said Victor Sanderson, a veteran and brother-in-law of The Burns Way app’s namesake.

     “It’s veterans helping veterans, so veterans would know exactly what the person is going through, and you’ll be able to talk him down from wherever he’s at in his mind.”

     The app makes it easy for a veteran to connect with an anonymous peer-support person — not a chatbot or AI — 24 hours a day, with no email or login required.

     It is designed to be inclusive, while putting an emphasis on First Nations and LGBTQ+ veterans.