Teaching Students the Basics of CPR to Begin Province-Wide in September

Released on April 1, 2026

Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, Saskatchewan school divisions will have the opportunity to provide lifesaving skills to students through a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) education initiative. The Ministry of Education is partnering with the Heart & Stroke Foundation to launch a province-wide program that will provide school divisions with resources to introduce CardiacCrash in Saskatchewan classrooms.

"Providing the opportunity to offer CPR education in our schools is an important step to protect lives and strengthen safety in our communities," Education Minister Everett Hindley said. "By equipping students with the knowledge and confidence to respond in an emergency, we are helping them be ready when every second matters. We are grateful for our partnership with Heart and Stroke and pleased to offer this opportunity to school divisions across the province."

Heart and Stroke will provide teacher training and learning materials for its CardiacCrash program at no cost to school divisions that choose to participate. These resources are designed to help students learn CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) use in a high-energy, interactive way. CardiacCrash increases readiness and reduces hesitation to act during cardiac emergencies - an important factor in improving survival rates and protecting lives.

"We are proud to partner with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education to bring CardiacCrash to classrooms across the province," Heart & Stroke Foundation Director of Saskatchewan Health Policy and Systems Carolyn Cyr said. "This is an important step toward building a new generation of lifesavers by equipping students with the skills, knowledge and confidence to act in a cardiac arrest emergency. We look forward to continuing to work with government to make CPR and AED education more accessible and standardized across Saskatchewan schools, so every student is empowered to step up when every second counts."

One Saskatchewan school division already offers the CardiacCrash program to help students build these valuable skills.

"The CardiacCrash program plays a vital role in addressing Saskatchewan's high rate of cardiac arrest fatalities, particularly in out of hospital settings where survival rates remain low," Good Spirit School Division CEO and Director of Education Quintin Robertson said. "By integrating this program in Good Spirit School Division, we strengthen our commitment to responsibility by equipping students with the confidence and skills to act in emergencies by empowering a generation of potential lifesavers."

Planning is underway to support implementation for the 2026-27 school year, including teaching resources, tools and distribution for school divisions.

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