Sask. government aims to improve safety at hospitals through independent review

The Government of Saskatchewan is launching a third-party review of safety and security at hospitals around the province.

The provincial government said the independent review is being launched at the request of the Saskatchewan Health Authority, adding that the Ministry of Health will select “a qualified expert capable of undertaking it as quickly as possible.”

Read more:

• Metal detectors coming to Saskatoon, Regina hospitals after continuous abuse towards health-care workers
• Family, tribal council call for answers after man dies following ‘altercation’ with hospital security
• Violent incidents continue to escalate at St. Paul’s Hospital, workers say

The review will scrutinize current security and safety practices, the government noted, and will provide recommendations to improve safety for patients, staff and visitors at all of the health authority’s facilities. The findings of the review will help inform future policy decisions and other improvements.

Staff and patients have both raised concerns about the “increasing volume and complexity of Protective Services interventions,” the provincial government noted, which emphasized the need for a full review.

“Patients, visitors, and staff must be safe in health care facilities in Saskatchewan,” Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said in a statement.

“The safety enhancements underway starting this week at several facilities will help ensure that goal is met so that we can put patients first. The independent review will give us an assessment of security currently in place at facilities and help identify improvements to support safer environments where people are providing and receiving care.”

But while the review is still in the planning stages, the government said it has already taken action to improve security at hospitals, including the addition of metal detectors to emergency department entrances in Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert and North Battleford.

“Safety in our hospitals is essential to delivering quality care,” Andrew Will, the health authority’s CEO, said in a statement.

“This independent review will ensure our security approaches continue to evolve to meet the needs of patients, families and staff, while reflecting best practices and cultural respect. We remain committed to accountability and to ensuring a safe care environment in SHA facilities.”

Security at Saskatchewan hospitals made headlines earlier this month after 36-year-old Trevor Dubois, a patient undergoing cancer treatment at Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital, died following what police described as an “altercation” with hospital security staff.

Police said methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and an imitation firearm were found after the death of Dubois, but members of his family and the Saskatoon Tribal Council said the fake gun was actually just a novelty lighter and called on police and the health authority to provide more answers.

The officer involved in the altercation was suspended “immediately following the incident,” said the health authority in a statement.

According to Cockrill, the health authority “will be conducting a full investigation of what occurred,” and noted that the death is also being investigated by police.

Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO, Andrew Will, speaks to media alongside Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Libby Gray/650 CKOM)

Hospital safety paramount

Cockrill is hoping to see this review done fulsomely and comprehensively, but conducted swiftly due to the urgency of the situation.

“We recognize that hospital safety and security is an issue that is top of mind for patients, families and communities across Saskatchewan, and it is especially top of mind for the people who work in our hospitals,” said Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO, Andrew Will. “Each and every day, our 45,000 staff and nearly 3,000 physicians are providing care in increasingly complex environments, and we recognize the safety and security challenges that come with that.”

Previously, in 2018, a review seemingly similar to the one newly announced was conducted, calling for standardized safety measures across Saskatchewan in hospitals and medical facilities across the province.

“The world has changed a little bit in eight years,” Cockrill said. “The reality is, the complexity of interactions and the complexity of patients coming into our facilities has changed. And so that’s where I think it’s time to take an updated look.”

That report resulted in 27 recommendations and came about during similar conditions, when health care workers were also reporting rising instances of violence in Saskatchewan.

“We know that behind every conversation about hospital safety, there are real experiences in incidents involving threats, assaults, verbal altercations and situations where weapons enter health facilities. These events are deeply concerning,” Will said. “They are stressful for staff, unsettling for patients and families, and they have no place in health care.

“Violence in health care settings is unacceptable.”

Cockrill added that it is “disturbing” to hear about any weapon being brought into a health care setting.

“I can’t think of a situation where bringing a weapon into a healthcare facility is going to improve my care experience,” the Minister of Health told reporters.

With the recent installation of a number of metal detectors in emergency departments at St. Paul’s Hospital and Saskatoon City Hospital on Monday and Regina General Hospital and Pasqua Hospital on Tuesday, Will said the aim of expanding this security measure in certain urban hospitals is to keep weapons from being brought into health care settings that might scare or injure hospital staff or patients.

Initial reports on these metal detectors, according to Will, show weapons are being confiscated and people are being deterred from bringing dangerous items into emergency rooms. Will clarified that this deterrent effect has been tangible in seeing various visitors to the hospital turn around to leave rather than walk through the newly-installed metal detectors.

The implementation of these metal detectors, Cockrill said, is a direct response to the concerns the province has heard from health care workers.

“I just want to say to the front-line staff who have raised concerns and shared their experiences, your government has heard you,” Cockrill said.

Flow of traffic into and through the hospital is something that will be important to make effective, Cockrill said, and compared the operations of these new security measures to that of airport security.

“You’ll be able to empty any metal items that you have, go through the metal detectors and then carry on in a timely way to receive care,” Cockrill said. “If there are items that could cause harm — if those are legal, normal kinds of items — those will be checked in a locker for people. If there are illegal weapons, those will be confiscated and they will not be returned.”

Photos released Thursday by the NDP show alcohol, drug paraphernalia and box cutters intercepted by security at a single metal detector location at the Royal University Hospital. (NDP/Submitted)

There may be exceptions for patients coming into the hospital in urgent situations with extremely high acuity of need, Cockrill said.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to wheel them through the metal detector, you know, when the priority is getting them the level of care that they need as soon as possible,” Cockrill acquiesced. “There’s some operational nuances there.”

The placement of metal detectors will depend on the layout of the hospital. Similarly, Will and Cockrill noted that not every hospital in the province is experiencing the same crises and further metal detector installations would depend on whether similar issues and needs of the key urban departments that have received metal detectors are being seen in other hospitals in the province.

Will would not clarify how often weapons are being brought into Saskatchewan hospitals where metal detectors have been placed, despite repeated questioning on Thursday as to whether this is a daily occurrence. 650 CKOM has reached out to the SHA for further clarification on this.

Protective services

Cockrill said security is also being enhanced at eight additional facilities across the province.

There are more than 275 protective services officers employed through the SHA, Will noted, with additional support provided by third-party protective service providers. These officers receive a minimum of 100 hours of training.

The equivalent of 51 additional protective services officers are being hired for the purposes of staffing and screening operations, facilitating the new metal detectors installed in Regina and Saskatoon.

Will said the work these officers do is difficult, but he is confident the SHA will be able to recruit staff to provide these services.

“I want to acknowledge their professionalism and essential work that they do, often in very difficult circumstances,” Will shared.

— with files from 650 CKOM’s Libby Gray