As violence increases, metal detectors installed at Montreal's Notre-Dame Hospital ER
CBC
Marc Nuckle, a security guard at Montreal’s Notre-Dame Hospital, says a number of weapons have been found on patients and their companions since metal detectors were installed at the entrance of the emergency room.
“Sometimes it’s metal bars or huge knives,” he said. “Hatchets, sometimes. Hammers.”
The metal detectors have been in place since Christmas Eve. The regional health authority and workers say there have been acts of violence, and the goal is to make the emergency room a safer place.
The health authority says consultations began in 2024 to install a permanent metal detector following recommendations from Quebec’s workplace safety board, the CNESST. A stabbing between two patients in 2023 prompted the team to increase security measures at the hospital.
“Employees no longer felt safe coming to work, anticipating there could be another aggressive patient,” said Isabelle Allaire, associate director of nursing care at the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.
The metal detector is the latest step. But over the last year, there have been other changes at Notre-Dame. Security guards, identification bracelets for patients’ companions, and surveillance cameras were also added.
About 700 patients pass through the emergency room at Notre-Dame Hospital each week. All are now required to undergo a mandatory search.
Éric Plante, security and emergency measures co-ordinator at the CIUSSS, said every patient must submit to a systematic screening.
“It’s simply to prevent accidents, because acts of violence are becoming increasingly frequent in our environment,” Plante said. “We wanted to make the premises safe for all patients, visitors and staff.”
About 130 people, including health-care professionals, work in the hospital’s emergency department.
During searches, Plante said his team sometimes finds firearms or replicas.
“Only legal items are returned,” he said. “Prohibited weapons are not.”
Loudwige Joseph, workplace harassment and well-being co-ordinator for the CSN union federation, said garbage bins were secured to the wall so they couldn’t be used as weapons. Utensils and plates are disposable for the same reason.
Notre-Dame Hospital provides care to patients experiencing homelessness and those affected by mental health disorders. But that does not mean there is an association between the care provided and the violence, said Allaire, with the CIUSSS.
York police said three suspects were taken into custody after a commercial break and enter in Vaughan Saturday morning.
Marc Nuckle, a security guard at Montreal’s Notre-Dame Hospital, says a number of weapons have been found on patients and their companions since metal detectors were installed at the entrance of the emergency room.
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