Man charged with attempted murder after 4 workers attacked at QEII ER

CITYnews halifax / By Mark Hodgins and The Canadian Press

Halifax police have laid charges against a 32-year-old man after a violent incident at the QEII hospital on Wednesday.

According to police, officers were called to a report of a man with a knife at the hospital around 1:00 p.m.

“A man who was receiving care at the hospital stabbed two people in the emergency room and injured two others by throwing objects at them,” read a media release from Halifax Regional Police.

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3 employees injured by patient after weapons call at Halifax hospital

They say one of the victims suffered “significant” injuries.

Police say Nicholas Robert Coulombe was expected in court on Thursday to face one count of attempted murder, three counts of assault with a weapon, three counts of aggravated assault and two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

In a news conference on Wednesday, Nova Scotia’s health minister said the people injured were employees at the hospital.

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.