Marc Nuckle, a security guard at Montreal’s Notre-Dame Hospital, has reported a rise in the discovery of various weapons on individuals and their companions ever since the installation of metal detectors at the emergency room entrance.
Nuckle mentioned finding items like metal bars, large knives, hatchets, and hammers during routine screenings. The metal detectors were put in place on Christmas Eve as a response to incidents of violence, aiming to enhance safety within the emergency room.
The decision to permanently install the metal detector was made after consultations that began in 2024, following recommendations by Quebec’s workplace safety board, CNESST. A violent incident involving two patients in 2023 prompted the hospital to bolster security measures.
Isabelle Allaire, the associate director of nursing care at the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, highlighted the need for increased security measures due to employees feeling unsafe following previous aggressive patient encounters. Apart from the metal detector, other security enhancements at Notre-Dame Hospital over the past year include the presence of security guards, patient companion identification bracelets, and surveillance cameras.
The security measures have been implemented at Notre-Dame Hospital in Montreal’s Ville-Marie borough due to several violent incidents in recent years, as reported by the regional health authority.
Firearms Discovered on Visitors
With approximately 700 patients passing through Notre-Dame Hospital’s emergency room weekly, mandatory searches are now conducted on all individuals.
Éric Plante, the security and emergency measures co-ordinator at CIUSSS, emphasized the necessity of systematic screenings for all patients to prevent accidents and address the escalating violence within the hospital environment. The emergency department, where about 130 individuals, including healthcare professionals, work, is subjected to the screening process to ensure a secure environment for patients, visitors, and staff.
During the screening process, Plante mentioned that firearms or replicas are occasionally found, with only legal items being returned, while prohibited weapons are confiscated.
Loudwige Joseph, the workplace harassment and well-being co-ordinator for the CSN union federation, mentioned securing garbage bins to prevent their use as weapons, and the use of disposable utensils and plates for safety reasons. Despite providing care to homeless patients and individuals with mental health disorders, Allaire from CIUSSS emphasized that there is no direct link between the