Security in spotlight after random stabbing outside HSC

The stabbing of a man outside a hotel attached to the Health Sciences Centre this week has renewed concerns about safety around Manitoba’s largest hospital.

The incident occurred outside the Canada Inns Destination Centre at 720 William Ave. around 2 a.m. Thursday. Police said the victim, who is in his 20s, managed to make his way into the hospital after what is believed to be a random attack.

“We never want to see violence like this take place anywhere in our communities, and of course not at the Canad Inns (or) anywhere near a hospital,” Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said Friday.

“It’s a tragedy whenever it occurs.”

Special duty police officers at the hospital responded to the incident, reports of which were broadcast over the radio. The victim said he’d been stabbed by two unknown suspects who ran away. He was admitted to hospital in unstable condition and later upgraded to stable, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release.

Police dispatched additional units, including a police dog, as officers searched the area. Two men were arrested on the Slaw Rebchuk Bridge on Salter Street.

Barry Quinton Beardy, 26, was charged with aggravated assault and failing to comply with a probation order.

Jared Ranston Hill, 28, was charged with aggravated assault and six counts of failing to comply with a release order. Both men were detained in custody.

The minister said they were grateful for the efforts of police and the hospital’s institutional safety officers.

Crime and violence have been prevailing issues around HSC, which is one of several facilities grey-listed by the Manitoba Nurses Union. The measure means the union advises current and prospective members not to work at the facility because of unsafe conditions.

The provincial government launched an enhanced security initiative in September in which two special duty police constables are stationed at the hospital around the clock.

It has introduced other improvements, including a team of about 70 safety officers who have the authority to intervene in security incidents, Asagwara said.

“We’ve seen a significant decline in thefts, car break-ins, incidents of violence. We’ve seen improvements across the board thanks to our safety and security measures,” the minister said.

On Friday afternoon, it was business as usual at the hotel, where at least two security guards patrolled the entrance and lobby.

Inside the hospital, a handful of safety officers operated a secure checkpoint and a pair of police officers stood watch nearby.

A group of people, many of them patients in wheelchairs, wearing hospital gowns or attached to medical devices mingled outside the front doors, smoking and chatting.

Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson said she was alarmed to learn about the stabbing and noted that many patients, families and visitors use the William Avenue entrance.

“It’s just very, very unsettling to think how many vulnerable individuals are around that entrance and around that hotel,” Jackson said.

In August 2025, 94 per cent of respondents voted to grey list HSC. The move came after four women and a teenage girl were sexually assaulted in or around hospital grounds on July 2.

Shared Health said Friday that nurse staffing levels have remained constant since the grey-listing designation took hold.

Jackson acknowledged the government’s efforts to address safety concerns at the facility.

“It definitely has made an impact because I hear from nurses at HSC that they feel much, much safer. Not only just at work in the building, but going between the parkades,” the union leader said.

“We still have some things that need to be done and that we’ve requested the employer put in writing for us.”

When nurses voted to grey list the facility, the union demanded stricter screening and control of access points and hospital tunnels; the creation of an early alert system to warn staff and patients about security incidents; a process for post-incident debriefs; and a review of security and training policies.

Some of those demands have been met, including creating an electronic records system that become operational in September. It allows for security calls to be logged, dispatched and recorded in real time, Shared Health said in a statement.

The health authority has enhanced video monitoring and approximately 1,000 cameras are placed around the hospital campus. Weapons detectors have been installed at several entrances.

Jackson said the union is seeking assurance from Shared Health and the government that the changes won’t be repealed once the designation is withdrawn.

One of the union’s priorities is ensuring the provincially funded police officers remain on site, she said.

Asagwara said there is no plan to remove police or any other security enhancement.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca