Iqaluit (Apr 14/03) - More than 600 people from all over Canada will gather here in May to talk about ways to save lives.

They won't be doing CPR courses -- they'll be talking about suicide and how to prevent it.

The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention annual conference will be held in the capital city from May 15 to 18. The association was formed in 1985; this will be the second time Iqaluit has hosted the national conference.

"We have over 100 sessions happening in those four days. It's absolutely amazing," said Sheila Levy, president of the Kamatsiaqtut Nunavut Help Line and co-chair of the conference.

What's even more amazing is the amount of work that has gone into the conference so far. Levy has been working on the details of the conference for close to two years. It is being presented by the Help Line and a committee of 16 volunteers is working towards it.

Levy, who organized the CASP conference in Iqaluit in 1994 and vowed she would never do it again, said she feels hosting it will be a positive experience for the capital.

"The conference will be a good thing for the town as well as all the people at the conference.

"Restaurants and hotels will get a lot of business from it," said Levy.

Conference organizers are urging anyone interested in participating to register as soon as possible.

There is a maximum of 800 spaces and, Levy said, she thinks that number will be reached soon. Admission is free for students and elders. For others, the price ranges from $125 to $175.

"We want to make this very accessible to people. Compared to conferences held in previous years, the fee is very cheap," explained Levy.

For this reason the conference committee has been busy fundraising. They have received donations from the territorial government and various other organizations.

During the conference, participants will be able to attend sessions on grief after suicide, stories of hope and healing and much more.

Co-chair of the conference, Bryon Doherty, said there will be a system in place to help anyone dealing with their own grief during the conference.

"We have a number of counsellors and several rooms available to take people in individually," he explained.

Doherty and Levy said the conference being held in Nunavut is especially significant because of the territory's high suicide rate. They encourage organizations and individuals living in Nunavut to get involved.