A Halifax man is facing charges including attempted murder after health workers were attacked on Wednesday afternoon at the Halifax Infirmary’s emergency room.
The province’s health minister says three health workers were injured by a patient, and sources have indicated that the weapon used was a knife.
The public prosecution service says 32-year-old Nicholas Robert Coulombe of Halifax was scheduled to appear in provincial court to face charges this morning.
Spokeswoman JoAnn Alberstate says Coulombe is being charged with one count of attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault, three counts of assault with a weapon, and two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
A leader with the union representing health workers at the hospital says “for years” her members have been calling for more security measures in the ER.
Sandra Mullen, president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, said Wednesday that without a safe workplace, there’s little hope of fixing the province’s struggling health-care system.