Every year, over 20% of people in North America experience a mental illness, and at least one in three Canadians will be diagnosed with one in their lifetime. Mental illness is usually a silent struggle because the signs are hard to see. Often someone could be suffering day in and day out, but coworkers may never know what they’re going through unless they share it.

To give people a place to share and ensure they never have to endure mental health challenges alone, employees at our Sainte Marie facility in Quebec created the Sentinelle program. What began with one difficult conversation, a choice to share the struggle, has now grown into a structured program that is now inspiring others and encouraging adoption across other facilities in Canada.

From a Moment of Crisis to a Movement

In 2023, an employee confided in HR manager Meghane Bernard that he was struggling with “dark thoughts.” Unsure of what to do, Meghane acted quickly — listening, staying with him and connecting him to our mental health program, Spring Health. That experience revealed an important gap: employees needed trusted peers who can recognize signs of crisis and guide them to the right resources.

“We realized that I didn’t need to be the solution; I needed to be the bridge,” Meghane explained. “I’m not a therapist, but I can connect someone with the help they need.”

“In 2023, we were emerging from an extraordinary period of COVID-19 and felt our teams were fragile at all levels. We were looking for additional resources to support our employees.”

The Sentinelle Program

To close that gap, the facility launched a Sentinelle Program, where employees are trained as first responders for mental health crises. The word “sentinelle” is a French word referring to a person or thing that keeps guard or watches over something. Key components of the program include:

• Volunteer-based: Employees from the office and plant floor are invited to participate.
• Training: Local hospital social workers provided eight hours of initial training on recognizing signs of distress, intervening with empathy and connecting to resources. Refresher sessions are held twice a year if needed.
• Awareness and access: Posters that are visible throughout the facility feature the names, photos and shifts of the “Sentinelles.” so every colleague knows who they can approach. The employee manual also includes the information for the 16 trained first responders.

This approach makes it easier for employees to seek help from someone they know and trust, whether it’s a peer on the night shift or a colleague in Human Resources.

Real Impact on Real People

Since the program launched, Sentinelles have helped colleagues facing suicidal thoughts, family crises and the everyday stressors of life. Sometimes it’s an emergency, and at other times it’s simply people looking for the right resource for help as Meghane describes it.

Meghane’s advice to other leaders considering a similar initiative: “Don’t wait. Even if you save only one life, that’s enough. Start small, ask for volunteers and bring in local trainers. You don’t have to have all the answers — you just need to build the bridge.”