The Government of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education, and provincial school boards recognize a shared responsibility alongside families, schools and communities for the education, health and mental well-being of the province’s children and youth. To support student mental health and well-being, the ministries of Health and Education, as well as the SHA collaborated to implement the Mental Health Capacity Building program in Saskatchewan schools.
The Mental Health Capacity Building (MHCB) program is a collaboration between schools and communities to recognize and address barriers to well-being through evidence-based prevention and mental health promotion efforts and activities. The MHCB program is dedicated to the enhancement of protective factors and reduction of risk factors pertaining to the mental health and well-being of the students, families, caregivers, staff, and community members throughout Saskatchewan.
The MHCB program began as a pilot in 2018 with five participating schools. After demonstrating a positive impact on the mental health and well-being of the individuals in the participating school communities, the program was expanded in 2022, 2024 and 2025.
In the Action Plan for Mental Health and Addictions: 2023-2028, the Government of Saskatchewan has committed to expanding MHCB to all 27 school divisions in the province by 2028.
In 2025-26, the following 20 school divisions are participating in the MHCB program:
- Chinook School Division
- Christ the Teacher Catholic School Division
- Creighton School Division
- Good Spirit School Division
- Ile-a-la Crosse School Division
- Light of Christ Catholic School Division
- Living Sky School Division
- Lloydminster Catholic School Division
- Lloydminster Public School Division
- Northern Lights School Division
- Northwest School Division
- Prairie South School Division
- Prairie Spirit School Division
- Prairie Valley School Division
- Prince Albert Catholic School Division
- Regina Catholic Schools
- Regina Public Schools
- Saskatchewan Rivers School Division
- Saskatoon Public Schools
- South East Cornerstone Public School Division
For more information, contact: MHCB@saskhealthauthority.ca or visit Mental Health Capacity Building Research Project.