Manitoba Hospitals Grey-Listed for Safety Concerns Amid Violence

For the first time in the history of the Manitoba Nurses Union, two hospitals in the province have been grey-listed simultaneously due to serious safety concerns. The decision to grey-list both the Thompson General Hospital and Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre sends a powerful message about the deteriorating conditions faced by healthcare workers in Manitoba. This action serves as a public signal that these institutions are failing to provide a safe and professional environment for their staff.

The vote to grey-list Thompson General Hospital occurred after 97 percent of its nurses supported the measure, prompted by a surge in workplace violence, including a stabbing incident in the emergency waiting room last September. According to the Manitoba Nurses Union (MNU), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) responded to the hospital more than 550 times in 2024 alone. The situation illustrates a systemic failure that jeopardizes the safety of both staff and patients.

Nurses play a critical role in maintaining healthcare systems, and when they label their own workplace as unsafe, it highlights a serious issue. The grey-listing does not mean an immediate withdrawal of services; rather, it aims to pressure hospital management to rectify these alarming conditions. With the increasing reliance on contract and agency staff, any further decline in workplace safety could complicate recruitment efforts, threatening the stability of health services in the Northern Health Region.

The urgency of the situation has prompted Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara to announce potential measures, including the deployment of institutional safety officers at Thompson General Hospital within weeks. While this is a step in the right direction, the minister has recognized that implementing effective solutions will take time—time that both nurses and patients cannot afford. As Thompson Mayor Colleen Smook indicated, the process of hiring and training security personnel cannot be expedited, and the mention of introducing metal detectors highlights the severity of the crisis.

The safety concerns are not exclusive to Thompson or Winnipeg. At the Brandon Regional Health Centre, nurses have also faced alarming incidents, including a threatening encounter with a belligerent patient in March 2024, and a near stabbing of an emergency room nurse in April. Despite the hiring of additional security personnel trained in crisis intervention, the violence against healthcare workers persists, reflecting a broader issue within the province’s healthcare system.

The MNU has been vocal about these escalating safety issues. A survey conducted in July 2023 revealed that nearly half of the 1,500 respondents felt that workplace culture had deteriorated compared to the previous year. MNU president Darlene Jackson emphasized that the violence nurses now encounter was rare a decade ago, yet has become commonplace.

Addressing these systemic problems requires more than just increased job postings and promises from the government. It necessitates substantial investment in the healthcare system, improved staffing ratios, and updated infrastructure. Moreover, northern communities must have a stronger voice in hospital operations, ensuring they can effectively recruit and retain local staff.

While the province’s recent commitments to improve safety are encouraging, transparency is essential. Manitobans deserve clarity on the timeline for implementing security measures and the protocols to be put in place, alongside metrics to evaluate improvements. The grey-listing of two hospitals should not merely serve as a warning; it must act as a catalyst for significant change within Manitoba’s healthcare landscape. The responsibility now lies with provincial and regional health officials to respond with the urgency this situation demands.