A report presented at Thursday’s board of police commissioners meeting highlighted a success story for Saskatoon’s HUB — a collaboration of agencies that provide multiple levels of support to individuals and families. However, the report also underscored that need is exceeding capacity for both the HUB and the Police and Crisis Team (PACT).
The number of times PACT has been dispatched has more than tripled since 2019, hitting 3,410 calls in 2025, up from 949 in 2019. PACT is a collaboration between the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS), the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), and the Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service. It pairs police officers with a crisis worker to respond to mental health and/or addictions-related emergencies. The program aims to streamline access to community services, reduce emergency department visits, and divert people from the justice system.
HUB Success Story
The report detailed one referral involving a single mother of two boys struggling with depression, grief, and financial hardship. She has been sober for two years after a history of substance abuse, but recent stress was challenging her sobriety. Her 13-year-old son requires constant support for behavioural and developmental needs likely stemming from his Autism Spectrum Disorder. Her seven-year-old son has been falling behind in school due to frequent absences and often takes on a caregiver role when his mother’s depression worsens.
The mother also supports her extended family and works in a mine up north, gone two weeks at a time, relying on a live-in nanny for her children. Support from HUB helped get an autism diagnosis for her oldest son, resulting in additional support through tax credits and autism services. Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools led the referral, walking alongside the mother to foster her independence, dignity, and confidence.
HUB Operations
The HUB consists of agencies like Saskatoon Tribal Council, Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools, SPS, and SHA. One full-time constable was appointed as chairperson for the committee in 2017 and has held the position ever since. Agencies bring referrals of people they feel could benefit from support. In 2025, 117 referrals were brought forward, with people facing risk factors such as mental health, housing, parenting, addiction, physical health, and poverty.
A major issue highlighted in the report is that HUB does not provide case management, and continued assistance and guidance are needed for clients who may regress. The work of PACT is reactionary, and the report emphasized the importance of timeliness in responding to mental health and addictions emergencies.
