THUNDER BAY — The number of violent incidents against staff at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre has been increasing significantly over the last several years, and three weeks before the hospital launched a workplace violence awareness campaign, four nurses and a security guard were assaulted in the emergency department.
The individual arrested in connection to the assault has been sentenced to four months in custody to be followed by 18 months probation. The sentence is on several charges, including the assault at the hospital and two other separate incidents.
The accused, who is not being named because the incident is related to a mental health issue, appeared in a Thunder Bay courtroom on Friday where he pleaded guilty to two counts of assault, two counts of mischief, one count assaulting a peace officer, one count of breaching a release order, and one count of breaching a probation order.
The incident at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre occurred in May 2022 when officers with the Thunder Bay Police Service were contacted about an assaultive patient in the emergency department.
A registered nurse was speaking with the accused in a small family room in the department and informed him he was being placed under Form 1 order as part of the Mental Health Act to undergo a psychiatric assessment.
The accused became agitated and aggressive when told to surrender his belongings and the nurse was pushed into a door frame.
Security was called and the accused was escorted to a secured room. While attempting to restrain him, the accused kicked and pushed three other nurses and a security guard. When police arrived, the accused had been sedated and was sleeping.
The accused pleaded guilty to assault in relation to the incident at the hospital. He also pleaded guilty to a second charge relating to a separate domestic assault, as well as two counts of mischief, and one count of assaulting a peace officer.
The incident involving the assault of a peace officer occurred after officers with the Thunder Bay Police Service responded to a disturbance at a residence in January 2023. The accused was taken into custody and while in the back of a police car he wrapped the seat belt around his neck. While attempting to free him, an officer was bitten by the accused on the hand, resulting in a laceration that was treated in hospital.
Justice Chantal Brochu noted that the most serious charges against the accused involved mental health issues, which were considered mitigating factors in his case.
However, the accused had a previous conviction relating to violence and his actions against frontline workers in health care and a police officer were aggravating factors.
Brochu sentenced the accused to four months in custody. With pre-sentence custody of 52 real days enhanced to 78 days, the accused will serve an additional 42 days.
Following the sentence, the accused will be subject to 18 months of probation.
The incident at the hospital came just weeks before the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre announced a new awareness campaign to address increasing incidents of verbal and physical abuse against health care workers.
In 2021, the emergency department reported 213 incidents of violence, which included 65 instances of physical contact. In 2019, the number of violent incidents reported was 138.
