On October 19, 2026, the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) was granted an Interim Order by the Ontario Labour Relations Board designed to reduce the likelihood and severity of workplace violence for nurses and healthcare workers at the Waterloo Regional Hospital Network.
Following a pattern of physical violence against nurses in an inpatient mental health unit, including one assault which left a nurse critically injured, ONA filed an urgent Application requesting that a trained security guard be stationed in the unit on a 24/7 basis.
Represented by Cavalluzzo LLP lawyers Tyler Boggs and Natasha Abraham, ONA emphasized that the frequent and severe injuries and incidents of workplace violence that occurred during times when no security personnel were present, and the likely risk that further violence would occur, supported such an Order.
The Ontario Labour Relations Board agreed and granted the Order as a temporary measure pending a final decision in other ongoing health and safety appeals concerning workplace violence, finding “that the proposed security increase will meaningfully reduce the risk and severity of workplace violence.”
This is one of only two Interim Applications granted under OHSA in which the Board has ordered security staffing as an interim measure. A similar case in 2014, also argued by Cavalluzzo LLP, obtained interim relief on a forensic mental health unit following a violent incident at Brockville Mental Health Centre.
Given the ongoing rise of workplace violence in healthcare settings, this Order represents a positive step for the protection of Ontario nurses and healthcare workers.
A copy of the decision can be found
here.