Course Outline

Healthy Living 9 offers all students opportunities to develop life skills through the acquisition of knowledge and practice within relevant contexts of the lives of youth, enhancing their ability to make safe and informed healthy decisions as they meet the challenges of everyday life and acknowledging the increasing independence within this stage of adolescent development that often presents new risk scenarios. Content topics address mental health literacy, safe and healthy relationships, substance misuse prevention, injury prevention (including workplace health and safety), sexual health, and chronic disease prevention through a study of health behaviours that together promote physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health.

Healthy Living 9 is part of the core program in grades 7–9 inclusive, is compulsory for all students, and requires 20 minutes per day or its equivalent 10 percent of instructional time per week. It is strongly recommended that school administrators provide this teaching assignment to as few teachers as possible as the content of health education within the Healthy Living 7–9 curriculum requires a knowledgeable and confident teacher who is provided with time to create a youth centered learning environment that is safe, nonjudgmental, interactive and conversation-based; engage in professional learning opportunities; and become familiar and comfortable with the primary teaching supplements that support this course.

Updated May 12, 2025