Login Members Only
In 2007, NSNU, NSGEU, CUPE and NSTU launched our Workplace Violence: It’s Not Part of the Job campaign, challenging employers and the government to act on this escalating problem.
In the decade that followed this campaign, nurses were among the most likely professionals to become victims of workplace violence. Each year, more than 1000 on average Canadian nurses were hurt severely enough to miss work. That’s more than police and firefighters combined.
As many of you may recall, in 2016, a heavily armed individual managed to easily enter the emergency department of the Soldiers' Memorial Hospital in Middleton, in the Annapolis Valley. At that time, the provincial government stressed the importance of ensuring that hospitals have a level of safety equivalent to that of schools. This incident prompted the Nurses’ Union to again launch an anti-violence campaign in 2017, calling attention to the growing prevalence of workplace violence, especially within the healthcare sector.
In late January 2025, almost two decades after NSNU and other unions successfully lobbied for regulations to help protect workers from workplace violence, harassment and abuse, I found myself speaking with media, employers and the Department of Health and Wellness about the need for stronger security measures at healthcare facilities.
Following a violent knife attack at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre (QEII) on January 29th where three staff members sustained injuries, the debate was reignited.
The QEII is not an exception. NSNU members are subjected to inappropriate, aggressive and sometimes criminal behaviours at facilities and workplaces across the province.
In 2023, the Nova Scotia Council of Nursing Unions negotiated a Letter of Commitment to Review Workplace Violence Policies and Procedures within the acute care collective agreement. That includes a general review of the existing workplace violence prevention policies and a commitment to provide ongoing education to nurses regarding the requirement for all incidents of workplace violence and near-miss events to be reported through organizational incident reporting systems.
NSNU’s Occupational Health and Safety Advisor, Heather Matthews, will be leading the charge with other members of the Committee to put resources and policies in place to address this growing concern. In fact, nine out of ten nurses surveyed last year said they had experienced violence on the job.
As I have stated publicly, well-trained security personnel must always be present in hospitals to handle violent situations. Private agency employees contracted to do this work lack consistent training and integration within care teams. This complicates patient care and creates uncertainty amongst staff, especially nurses.
It is easy to put this issue and our demands in perspective. To attend a Mooseheads game, you can't have a knife in your pocket, but you can walk into any of our facilities with a weapon, not just a knife. Metal detectors in hospitals are essential, as much for the safety of patients as for the safety of employees.
Nova Scotia Health interim president and CEO Karen Oldfield supports purchasing handheld metal detectors for use in Nova Scotia emergency departments.
Last year, the Manitoba health authority adopted a weapons detection system using artificial intelligence at the entrance to the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre, the province's largest hospital, after a series of violent incidents.
Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) congratulated Nova Scotia Health Minister Michelle Thompson for addressing the issue of workplace safety, one of the talking points at the January 30th meeting with provincial health ministers in Halifax.
In 2021, the federal government responded to calls for help from the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Nurses’ Association (CNA) and the CFNU with legislation that made it illegal to use threats and bullying to stop a health worker from providing care to patients.
All three organizations and unions within Nova Scotia continue to urge the public to respect these laws and call on public safety and law enforcement officials to enforce them. Without consequences the threat of violence against healthcare workers will not end.
