Sask. NDP says mental health underfunding is putting youth at risk

Betty Nippi-Albright, Saskatchewan NDP mental health and addictions critic, said the mental health crisis in the province is reaching a breaking point after nearly two decades of underfunding.

In Saskatoon on Monday, Nippi-Albright said Saskatchewan has one of the highest rates of suicide and self harm in the country.

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“This is especially severe for Indigenous youth, where the rates of self harm for First Nation girls are seven times higher than for girls who are not First Nations.”

Nippi-Albright emphasized the need for more mental health professionals to meet the growing demand for care. Additionally she stressed the importance of wraparound support and ensuring mental health services are available to all youth.

“We are already losing a generation of our young people to suicide (and) to drug overdose,” Nippi-Albright said.

“The government needs to stop giving platitudes (and) put that money back into the mental health supports that the people in this province need.”

Beside Nippi-Albright stood Megan Isbister, who lost her brother Jacob Isbister to an overdose in March.

“Families like mine still face an overwhelmed and under-resourced system. Specifically, the Saskatchewan government must address shortages and long wait times,” she said.

Isbister said her brother experienced “a revolving door situation,” with discharge from treatment leaving him without adequate follow-up or comprehensive care. She said this contributed to his substance use disorder.

“The system’s failures left Jacob trapped in a cycle of insufficient care, causing his mental health to worsen significantly and leaving him increasingly vulnerable,” she said.

Marilyn Irwin shared her own testimony of struggle as she tried to access mental health services for her son before he died in 2018.

“From my perspective, suicide is preventable,” Irwin said. “There is an answer, and it is more resources for the people of Saskatchewan.”

650 CKOM has reached out to the provincial government for comment.

Saskatoon overdoses and treatment centres

The city of Saskatoon has seen a significant number of overdoses in 2025 compared to last year.

From Jan. 1 to Monday, Saskatoon Fire Department has responded to 1006 overdose incidents. During the same timeline in 2024, the fire department responded to 492.

In April, the province opened its newest and largest addictions treatment centre, the Willowview Recovery Centre near Lumsden.

The centre has 60 inpatient beds, and is part of the provincial government’s plan to provide 500 new addiction treatment spaces under its Action Plan for Mental Health and Addictions.

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