Sask. nurses' union calls for better security after man brings shotgun to St. Paul's Hospital

The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses is calling for changes after an incident last month involving a person who brought a shotgun and several knives to St. Paul’s Hospital, according to the union.

In a social media post, the union says a person showed up at the hospital's emergency department armed with a sawed-off shotgun.

The person went to use a washroom, where the gun was later found by staff, according to the union's post.

The patient, who continued to become more violent and threatened staff, was also found to be carrying knives and was eventually "contained and disarmed," but "the outcome could have been a lot worse," the social media post says.

In a statement, the Saskatchewan Health Authority confirmed that a patient brought a firearm, ammunition and three knives into the emergency department on Nov. 27. Protective services officers worked with the Saskatoon Police Service "to de-escalate and detain the individual," the health authority's statement said.

In a separate statement, Saskatoon police confirmed they were called to the hospital twice on the night of Nov. 27 — once about a firearm located in a bathroom and again with a report of a man behaving violently.

A 38-year-old man was arrested and charged the next day with uttering threats and possession of ammunition, according to police.

Nurses' union president Bryce Boynton says the event exemplifies growing safety issues at Saskatchewan hospitals, and demanded better security be put in place.

"Every single one of us are here to do a job and to do it well, but in order to do it well we need to be safe in our work. We need to be able to provide that care without the threat of not going home at the end of our shift," he said.

"Why are we not seeing metal detectors in every single facility? Why are we not seeing an increase in security guards in every single facility?"

Saskatchewan NDP health critic Meara Conway said "there are deeper issues here" around addiction and mental health.

"We see deep social problems spill into the emergency room more and more. And we need to tackle those. But I think the immediate focus should be on making sure that the staff at St. Paul's feel safe."

Premier Scott Moe made similar comments when asked about the incident on Friday.

"Our goal is to offer these individuals support, but also enforce the law," he said. "Enforce the law when it comes to street weapons such as this, enforce the law when it comes to dealing and possession of these poisonous drugs that are in our community.