Manitoba government funding 24-hour police security at province’s largest hospital

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This article was published 09/09/2025 (212 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG – The Manitoba government is providing more than $2 million to increase security efforts at the province’s largest hospital, including funding police officers to man the facility 24 hours a day. 

Two police officers will be deployed to the emergency department at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg due to rising safety concerns in and around the hospital. 

“There’s important work that’s happening to make sure that we’re involving law enforcement in the security solution at the (Health Sciences Centre),” Justice Minister Matt Wiebe told reporters on Tuesday. 

“We’re in discussions with (Winnipeg police) to make sure that they’ve got the right level of resources, and we’re confident we’ve got that.”

The province is providing $2.3 million for the fiscal year to go toward funding the officers and the addition of five new weapon-detection scanners at the main public entrances of the hospital.

Wiebe said the decision to do this comes after the province spoke with health-care workers, their unions, the health department and officials at Health Sciences Centre. 

He said police officers will work with safety officers to provide a layered security response to individuals who are in crisis. 

The Winnipeg police service said it is committed to be part of the safety solution at the hospital, but that nothing has been decided. 

“The Winnipeg Police Service is committed to the safety of our community, and are a participant in discussions as it relates to safety at the Health Sciences Centre,” Chief Gene Bowers said in a statement. 

“We hope to finalize with the Government of Manitoba how police can contribute to a layered safety plan. However, details are still being worked out.”

The move comes as nurses made the rare decision last month to declare the hospital too dangerous to work in, otherwise known as “grey listing.”

The Manitoba Nurses Union previously said it made several requests to the hospital to improve security measures but the safety of nurses there is consistently compromised. 

Police arrested a man in July after a string of random sexual assaults in and around the hospital. 

The union says it has asked for swipe cards to access hospital tunnels, the creation of a security team to man the tunnels and an alert system to notify staff of security issues.

Opposition Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan questioned whether two police officers is enough to address security issues. 

“This is just a knee-jerk reaction by the NDP government to make an announcement to make it look like they’re doing something when really the results aren’t going to be there.”

Shared Health, the body that oversees services at Health Sciences Centre, said in a social media post that the province’s initiative is part of larger safety enhancements occurring at the hospital, including reducing public access points, security screening and strengthening safety features within the hospital’s tunnel system. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2025.