Our first program
The Newcomer Health Navigation Project
A bilingual health education and navigation initiative for newcomers who have lived in Saskatchewan for less than five years and currently reside in Saskatchewan.
How the program works
The program will primarily operate by creating bilingual educational resources in French and English, available as downloadable PDF guides and printed booklets, distributed throughout the community in locations newcomers already visit: newcomer and settlement agencies, community centres, libraries, schools, post-secondary institutions, places of worship, and other community partner locations.
Guides use simple language, clear explanations, visual elements, and step-by-step instructions, with French and English content given equal importance. Resources provide general, non-clinical information only: they do not diagnose conditions, recommend treatments, interpret test results, or replace advice from licensed healthcare professionals. All health-related content will be reviewed by qualified healthcare professionals before publication whenever possible.
The first major resource will be a bilingual newcomer healthcare guide: a general introduction to the provincial healthcare system that directs readers to trusted organizations and service providers for individualized assistance. The PDF will be shared electronically through partner organizations, social media, email newsletters, community websites, and QR codes in public locations; printed copies will be distributed at newcomer events, orientation sessions, workshops, health fairs, and community gatherings.
The program's role is to provide education and orientation, not individualized medical advice. Readers are always encouraged to contact an appropriate healthcare professional, HealthLine 811, emergency services, or a trusted community organization for assistance specific to their personal situation.
The evidence
What the data says
In June 2026, Statistics Canada published an analysis of access to French-language healthcare among French-speaking adults outside Quebec. Two findings run through it, and both shape how this program is built. French-speaking immigrants face the widest gap of any group. And most of that gap comes from what is offered, not from what people want.
Among French-speaking adults who said it mattered to them to receive care in French, immigrants reported a harder experience than non-immigrants on every measure.
Why people do not ask
Across all French-speaking adults who did not ask for care in French, the reasons given were mostly about the service, not about preference.
- 43% assumed the professional did not speak French.
- 32% said the service was not actively offered in French.
- 23% wanted to avoid delays in getting care.
- 36% held back only for reasons tied to the absence of service or of an active offer.
- Among those who were not comfortable asking, 81% explained that discomfort by a lack of service or of an active offer.
Discomfort is growing, not shrinking. One French-speaking adult in three (36%) is uncomfortable asking for care in French in a public health facility, up from 23% in 2006.
In the West, the gap is wider still
The survey groups Saskatchewan with Alberta, British Columbia, and the territorial capitals. Among French-speaking adults in that group who said French-language care mattered to them:
- 0%find it difficult to get care in French where they live
- 0%always or often ask for it
- 0%always or often receive it
- 0%are not comfortable asking
- 0%feel care is actively offered in the language of their choice
And yet asking works
Among the French-speaking adults who did always or often ask for care in French, 81% always or often received it. The service exists more often than people expect, and it goes unused because no one asks. That gap between what is available and what is requested is exactly what a navigation program can close: knowing the service exists, knowing how to ask for it, and not having to ask alone.
Source: Daphne Fernandes and Louis Cornelissen, "Accès aux soins et services de santé en français parmi les adultes de langue française au Canada hors Québec, 2022", Statistics Canada, Language Statistics Program, June 2026. Based on the 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population.
These figures describe all French-speaking adults outside Quebec, not newcomers alone. The immigrant and non-immigrant comparisons are drawn from within that population.
Where you'll find the guides
The PDF version will be available online and shared electronically through partner organizations, social media, email newsletters, community websites, and QR codes displayed in public locations. Printed copies will be placed in accessible community spaces and distributed during newcomer events, orientation sessions, workshops, health fairs, and community gatherings.
How we'll evaluate the pilot
We will track and evaluate the pilot through:
- Number of participants served
- Languages requested
- Types of support provided
- Referrals completed
- Workshops delivered
- Participant satisfaction
- Volunteer participation
- Change in participants' confidence navigating the healthcare system
Who we serve
The pilot program will serve newcomers who:
Lived in Saskatchewan less than five years
Currently reside in Saskatchewan
Need healthcare navigation support
Prefer French or English
Open to
Priority may be given to individuals experiencing
Regina first, Saskatchewan next
The pilot will initially focus on newcomers living in Regina and surrounding communities. This limited geographic focus allows us to test services, build strong community partnerships, train volunteers, evaluate outcomes, and improve the program before expanding to other areas of Saskatchewan.
Help this program reach Regina newcomers
Whether through volunteering, partnership, or funding, every contribution moves this program from proposal to reality.