Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR Saskatchewan

The Good Samaritan: compassion and protection

Drawn from the Bible (Luke 10:25-37), the parable of the Good Samaritan tells of a traveller left for dead who is rescued by a stranger that tends to him and sees to his care. Beyond its religious context, it carries a universal message: the moral duty to help others in danger, through compassion and altruism.

Inspired by this principle, many so-called Good Samaritan laws have been enacted around the world to protect those who assist in good faith during an emergency from legal action. The exact scope of that protection, however, varies from one jurisdiction to another: here is what the law applicable to your region provides.

Statute citation

Governing act The Emergency Medical Aid Act, RSS 1978, c E-8.
Scope of protection No liability for damages resulting from acts or omissions of a person, professional or lay, who voluntarily provides emergency medical services or first aid at the immediate scene, unless there is gross negligence (conduct showing reckless disregard for the safety of the person aided).
Duty to rescue No
AED liability protection Protected
Statute No dedicated defibrillator statute; lay AED use falls under the general immunity of the Emergency Medical Aid Act.
No legal duty to rescue AED protection

Your protection under the law

In Saskatchewan, the Emergency Medical Aid Act rules out any liability for damages arising from the acts or omissions of a person, professional or lay, who voluntarily provides emergency medical services or first aid at the immediate scene. The only exception is gross negligence — conduct showing a reckless disregard for the safety of the person being helped. This good-faith immunity naturally covers the use of a defibrillator during an emergency intervention.

No duty to act, but every reason to

In Saskatchewan, the law imposes no duty to render aid: helping is a choice, never a legal compulsion. In return, the province guarantees that this choice, made in good faith, will not expose you — including when you take down an AED to use it. The only unknown that remains, then, comes down to your preparation.

Why training matters

From Saskatchewan's large farms to its cities, cardiac arrest can strike anywhere, anytime — and with every minute without resuscitation, the chance of survival recedes by about 10 percent. In rural areas where responders cover long distances, that delay makes the bystander the true first link in the chain of survival. Learning CPR and how to use an AED gives you the means to hold a life in your hands until help arrives. It is a modest investment for a considerable power: that of making the difference.