By: Danielle Dufour
The 2026-27 Saskatchewan Provincial Budget allocated $673.7 million to support mental health and addictions programs.
“That is a status-quo budget,” said Member of the Legislative Assembly, NDP Betty Nippi-Albright, the shadow minister for mental health and addictions. “That’s for their operational, their existing programs and services, and we know that there’s been an increased demand for mental health and substance use harm supports.”
She recently brought forward a petition to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly stating the following: Saskatchewan has the highest rate of suicide among the provinces; Indigenous people are dying by suicide at a rate of 4.3 times higher than non-Indigenous people; Saskatchewan continues to break records in overdose deaths from drug toxicity; and one in four youth in Saskatchewan have reported engaging in self-harm and have considered suicide in the past year.
“It’s the lack of investment from the Sask. Party for mental health supports and services,” said Nippi-Albright. “They’ve been undercutting mental health for years, and we’re seeing the results of that underfunding.”
Nippi-Albright stated the Police Crisis Team and Wellness Buses have requested additional government funding and “received zero funds.”
“We’re seeing the demand out there is significant, yet the dollars for the investment doesn’t match that,” said Nippi-Albright.
The Sask. Party has committed to 500 addiction treatment spaces by March 2027.
“What they’re doing with the 500 spaces is a commitment over a five-year period; we’re at 300 and we have an additional 200 to fill,” said Nippi-Albright. “They’re playing catch-up to a crisis that they created by the lack of investments in mental health and substance use harms. This is just trying to put a band-aid over a bullet wound.”
With the increase in mental health and addictions across the province and with the closure of the Prairie Harm Reduction centre in Saskatoon, Nippi-Albright said, “My fear is that these folks that access those services, where are they going to go? My concern is we’re going to have more deaths.”
Nippi-Albright called upon the government to work with experts and community leaders with evidence-based solutions to mental health and addiction issues.
“We need the frontline workers because they’re the ones that have a pulse of the community, what’s happening on the ground,” said Nippi-Albright.
She suggests engaging service providers, healthcare professionals, academics and researchers, and individuals that have lived experience.
“This toxic drug crisis isn’t going to go away,” said Nippi-Albright. “When the government is delayed in their response in providing supports and services, how many people are going to die until they take it seriously?”
Ministry of Health Statement:
The 2026-27 Provincial Budget makes significant investments to increase access to mental health and addiction treatment in Saskatchewan. This funding increase will support a province-wide expansion of services, including withdrawal management, inpatient, outpatient, virtual, and family-based care, allowing more people to access care more timely and closer to home.
The Government of Saskatchewan shares the desire of our province’s First Nation and Métis leadership to expand access to addictions treatment in our province, including the expansion of culturally appropriate care options for members of our First Nation and Métis populations.
Our government continues to add new treatment spaces across the entire alcohol and drug treatment continuum as part of our Action Plan for Mental Health and Addictions. The plan commits to the addition of 500 new addiction treatment spaces, which will more than double the total number of publicly funded addiction treatment spaces available in our province. Three hundred twelve of these spaces are already operational, including those done in partnership with Poundmaker’s Lodge in North Battleford, the Onion Lake Cree Nation, and Muskwa Lake Wellness Camp. We expect the remaining spaces to be operational by March 2027.
The Ministry of Health remains committed to ensuring mental health supports are available to residents when and where they need it. HealthLine 811, the 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline, Kids Help Phone, and mobile crisis phone lines are available throughout the province. Family Service Saskatchewan supports free mental health walk-in clinics in over 30 communities across the province. The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) provides a range of mental health services, including outpatient treatment in 57 communities and acute mental health inpatient services in eight major centres.
Addressing self-harm and suicide continues to be a priority as we work with our community partners to reduce suicide rates in Saskatchewan. Pillars for Life: The Saskatchewan Suicide Prevention Plan is our plan to address this important issue.
Since the introduction of our Action Plan for Mental Health and Addictions in 2023, annual drug toxicity deaths in Saskatchewan have declined significantly, by -24% in 2024 and by another -4% in 2025.
While improvements have been made to our system, we recognize that there is more work to be done.
Dale Hunter, Communications on behalf of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health