Students across Saskatchewan will soon have the opportunity to learn life-saving skills as part of a new provincial education initiative starting this fall. The Saskatchewan Ministry of Education is partnering with the Heart & Stroke Foundation to offer the CardiacCrash program to school divisions beginning in the 2026-27 school year.
The program, which focuses on training students in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated external defibrillators, was developed following a successful pilot project led by the Good Spirit School Division. Headquartered in Yorkton, the school division serves approximately 6,300 students across 27 schools in 15 communities in the region.
According to the Ministry of Education, the CardiacCrash program is recommended for students in Grade 7 and above. The training uses a team-based, gamified approach that takes less than one hour to complete, making it accessible for classrooms. To support this rollout, the Heart & Stroke Foundation will provide all necessary teacher training and learning materials to participating school divisions at no cost.
Education Minister Everett Hindley announced the province-wide initiative on April 1, 2026. This move aligns Saskatchewan with other provinces such as Ontario, Manitoba, and Quebec that have already implemented similar training standards for students.
Health experts note that this training is critical because survival rates for cardiac arrests that occur outside of a hospital are low, with only one in ten victims surviving. However, immediate intervention through CPR and the use of a defibrillator can double a person’s chance of survival. With approximately 60,000 cardiac arrests occurring outside of hospitals in Canada each year, officials hope this initiative will equip a new generation with the skills needed to respond effectively during emergencies.
