“Patients, visitors, and staff must be safe in health care facilities in Saskatchewan,” Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said in a statement. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

By CKOM

Safety Enhancements

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

Jan 22, 2026 | 5:02 PM

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.”

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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.

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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.