REGINA – Opposition New Democrats were back hammering the government on the issue of hospital security and safety on Monday, this time claiming the government knew of the problem but did nothing about it.
At a news conference at the Legislature, NDP critics Meara Conway and Nathaniel Teed pointed to a 2024-25 annual report from the Ministry of Health that highlighted the issue.
Conway said that report found that there were more than 300 critical incidents in Saskatchewan hospitals just between 2023 and 2025.
Of those, 23 of those incidents involved criminal acts being committed towards patients, and there was one instance of a patient being abducted. The report also stated violent incidents had more than doubled in those two years.
The NDP also pointed to a 2024 report of the Provincial Auditor, that found 17 of 20 safety incidents investigated had "weak planned corrective action."
"The report found that the ministry's own internal critical incident review committee suggested pat-downs of patients and the installation of metal detectors as stronger measures to prevent weapons from entering emergency rooms," said Conway.
"So this issue of weapons in hospitals was already identified back then."
Conway also noted the response from the province was to put in place a policy that weapons were prohibited. That, said Conway, is "ridiculous because, of course, weapons would have already been prohibited from emergency rooms."
She noted the Auditor's report "specifically identifies this need for metal detectors back then. Critically, the Ministry of Health's own critical review committee did not require the SHA to revise its plan. And it would be another 450 days, as we know, before the Sask Party finally announced a metal detector at St. Paul's Hospital. And that was after a letter penned by hundreds of patients and, of course, a tragedy in Saskatoon."
Teed echoed the call for action, pointing to his recent news conference with members of SEIU – West where they released images of tables of weapons seized at a single entrance at Royal University Hospital.
"Knives, machetes, brass knuckles, scissors, non-lethal firearms, and more," said Teed. "Let's be clear that this is a safety crisis not isolated to that hospital. This was one entrance, one metal detector. That hospital alone has 14 entrances."
He also pointed to the incident at St. Paul's Hospital in late November, in which a patient was found admitted to the emergency room with three knives and a firearm.
Teed also reiterated his call from last Friday for "Scott Moe's missing in action Health Minister" Jeremy Cockrill to "go to emergency rooms, speak to health care workers who are experiencing this firsthand."
The latest NDP comments came after news broke last week that metal detectors would now be deployed in hospitals across Regina and Saskatoon, following a pilot project at Royal University Hospital. It also follows the announcement in Saskatoon last week by Cockrill and the SHA of the launch of independent review of hospital security and safety in the province.
But Conway dismissed that latter announcement, saying it had "no timelines, no scope, no plan to consult with actual people working and dealing with constant safety issues on the front lines in our hospitals. This was a reactive photo op to quell another crisis."
In a statement Monday afternoon, Minister Cockrill had this to say about the independent review of hospital security.
"The safety of patients, visitors and staff in Saskatchewan hospitals is a top priority for our government. Anyone who enters a healthcare facility in the province deserves to feel safe. That is why this announcement for an independent review is an important step in strengthening hospital safety and security province‑wide. The review will consider how Protective Services respond to incidents in ways that protect patients and staff while supporting culturally safe, respectful care environments."
Regarding Teed's call for Cockrill to go to visit emergency rooms, Cockrill said "I have the opportunity to regularly visit hospitals across the province and speak directly with frontline healthcare workers to hear their experiences and ensure their concerns continue to guide our work to improve patient care and working conditions."
Cockrill added that the NDP "continue to criticize our healthcare system while offering no ideas or plans to improve healthcare. The implementation of metal detectors is not the only solution but an important step going forward as we work together with the Saskatchewan Health Authority to improve access to care and security."
The Ministry of Health provided a statement with respect to metal detectors, and in particular to the NDP's comments on the Provincial Auditor's findings.
"It is worth noting, the 2024 Auditor’s Report – Volume 2 does NOT call for deployment of metal detectors at health care facilities, it suggested metal detectors as a potential solution alongside other options."
They noted that the deployment of metal detectors to urban emergency departments in Saskatoon and Regina "follows a successful metal detection pilot" at the joint emergency department entrance at Royal University Hospital and Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon, with the detector installed in late summer 2025 and beginning operations in the fall of 2025. The ministry says that pilot involved comparing traditional metal detection methods with new metal detection technology to determine viability of the different metal detection methods available.
The Health ministry adds that in 2023–2024, the SHA budgeted $3,974,000 to support enhanced security levels at Lloydminster Hospital, Battlefords Union Hospital, La Ronge Health Centre, Prince Albert Victoria Hospital, Pasqua Hospital and Regina General Hospital, made possible through $3.9 million from the province. They also state that during 2024–25, the SHA budgeted $2.5 million in additional funding from the province to support protective services in Kamsack, Melfort, Moose Jaw, Nipawin, Swift Current, Weyburn, Shellbrook and La Loche.
