Amid an apparent uptick in violence at hospitals across Canada, a number of medical facilities are taking action by installing weapons detection systems.

Health care workers have been stabbed, physically assaulted, and forced to run for cover from bullets in just the last six months alone at hospitals throughout Canada, according to the Globe and Mail.

To combat this violence, several hospitals are implementing a system to detect weapons being smuggled into emergency rooms.

The technology being increasingly used in Canadian hospitals utilizes artificial intelligence to detect weapons like guns, knives, or brass knuckles, differentiating them from legitimate items like keys.

In London, Ont., University Hospital began using the system in April while Victoria Hospital is on track to begin using the technology this week.

A shooting occurred in December of last year just steps from Victoria Hospital’s emergency room. The shooting was "the final straw," said David Musyj, supervisor of London Health Sciences Centre.

As further detailed by the Globe, Windsor Regional Hospital was the first hospital in the country to install the weapons detection system, implementing it in October of 2023.

Prior to the system being used, the hospital confiscated approximately 10 weapons per year. With the system in place, over 4000 "items," including knives and brass knuckles, have been found over the last 18 months alone.

In Manitoba, nurses at the Health Sciences Centre hospital campus reported 64 physical or verbal assaults from September of 2024 to January of 2025. According to a report from the Manitoba Nurses’ Union, the number "likely underrepresents the true scale of the issue."

Furthermore, workplace violence is reportedly a leading cause of injury for nurses in British Columbia, with the president of the BC Nurses' Union saying that roughly 46 claims of violence requiring time off for nurses are filed each month.

"What people aren’t getting is that if it’s not safe for the nurse, or the other health care workers, it’s not safe for patients either," said Adriane Gear, president of the BC Nurses’ Union.

Emergency room staff across Canada reportedly face an increased risk of violence due to overcrowding and a high volume of patients with mental health or substance abuse issues.

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