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First Aid & CPR Training

Res #: 7-16M
Number: 7
Year: 2016
Midterm: Yes
Expired: No
Responses Received: Yes
Departments: Saskatchewan Ministry of Education

WHEREAS Saskatchewan has an increasing population with a great number of this population being from rural areas which may mean a long wait for an ambulance or at times being a long distance from an urban centre with a hospital or health care facility; and

WHEREAS the first few minutes after an accident or incident are critical to a person’s survivability; and

WHEREAS First Aid and CPR training have shown to be of great value and should be learned from a young age and kept up to date as required;

BE IT RESOLVED that SARM lobby the Ministries of Health and Education to have First Aid and CPR training as part of the high school curriculum so that every student learns this very important life skill before they seek employment where it is a prerequisite or before they come across an individual that may require it.

Responses From: The Ministry of Education

January 10, 2017

Thank you for your recent letter regarding Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) Midterm Convention and for your update on the adoption of SARM’s resolution supporting Saskatchewan’s public libraries and Single Integrated Library System (SILS), and your request to have First Aid/CPR training as part of the high school curriculum.

Our government appreciates the important role that Saskatchewan rural municipalities play in supporting our education system, including our libraries. Equitable library services, resource sharing and a strong provincial public library system are a vital part of our infrastructure and integral to our vision for the future of Saskatchewan.

Despite the current economic challenges our province is facing, the 2016-17 provincial grant funding to support public libraries and the innovative services they provide remained constant at $11.09 million. This includes $8.25 million for resource sharing grants for regional libraries, $2.38 million for CommunityNet, $138,000 for library initiatives, $114,000 for the SILS initiative, $100,000 for Inter Library Loans, and $100,000 for the National Network for Equitable Library Service.

We realize that there is more work to do and we will continue to explore opportunities to capitalize on the province-wide cooperation of our libraries for the benefit of all Saskatchewan residents.

The topics of safety and first aid training are addressed through a variety of secondary curricula, including:

  • Trades-related courses in practical and applied arts (PAA);
  • Agriculture-related production courses in PAA;
  • Wellness 10; and,
  • Career and Work Exploration courses.

School divisions and First Nations educational authorities also offer locally developed courses to best serve the needs of their students. An example, which incorporates training in first aid and CPR, is Emergency Services Response Training.

I appreciate you taking the time to share SARM’s resolutions, and thank you for your commitment to our provincial libraries and the safety of our students.

If you have any further questions about Saskatchewan’s public libraries, please contact Alison Hopkins, Provincial Librarian/Executive Director, Provincial Library and Literacy Office at 306-787-2972 or alison.hopkins@gov.sk.ca.

If you have questions about safety and first aid as part of the high school curriculum, please contact Maria Chow, Acting Director, Student Achievement and Supports at 306-787-5776 or maria.chow@gov.sk.ca.

Hon. Don Morgan – Minister of Education, Government of Saskatchewan