Posted August 8, 2025
To our valued members working at HSC:
MAHCP is keenly aware of recent threats to the physical safety of staff and patients at Health Sciences Centre, including serious incidents that have occurred in the past day. We have long been pushing the employer for urgent action. They aren’t doing enough to keep you safe.
That’s why our representatives on HSC’s Workplace Safety and Health Committee endorsed strong recommendations to improve your safety on the job and put those forward to the employer. Incidents this week have underscored the need for these recommendations to be implemented without delay, including an urgent alert system to immediately notify staff and patients of threats.
This morning, MAHCP President Jason Linklater, together with representatives from other unions, met with officials from Shared Health, the Government of Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg to learn how the employer intends to address safety on the HSC campus.
We received assurances from the employer and government that they are taking the issue seriously and that they intend to work with all stakeholders, including unions, to address safety concerns quickly and meaningfully.
In addition to the urgent recommendations put forward by the Workplace Safety and Health Committee, MAHCP has discovered that Shared Health is not meeting legislated requirements to track and report violent incidents in the workplace. Not only is this a serious violation of provincial law, but it also means that Shared Health lacks data to see longer-term trends, identify problem areas and inform solutions. We have raised this non-compliance with the employer and with enforcement officers, and we have also informed other health-care unions.
MAHCP will be working with the employer to ensure they live up to their legislated responsibility of keeping you safe on the job. However, we are very mindful of the fact that their track record is not good. We will continue to push them for swift action and will keep you updated as we learn more about their intentions and timelines for implementation following today’s meeting.