‘It’s every day:’ Saskatoon hospital security guard sees spike in weapons, violence

WATCH: The Saskatchewan Health Authority is looking to hire more security guards at Saskatoon hospitals as officers are seeing more violence on the job.

A senior security officer at Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital (RUH) is seeing a troubling rise in weapons and violence inside the facility.

Chris Clark said there isn’t a shift that goes by without him seizing a weapon from someone entering the hospital.

“It’s every day, several times a day,” Clark told CTV News.

Clark said he’s confiscated knives, guns, brass knuckles, bear spray — and even a blow torch.

He said the level of violence has worsened over his 35-year career.

“When I started in the department, stuff happened, but it didn’t happen very often ... Now, things are happening daily,” Clark said, noting more assaults on staff.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is currently hiring 14 security officer positions — eight at RUH and six at St. Paul’s.

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Five of those postings appeared online Monday, just days after a man walked into the St. Paul’s with a sawed-off shotgun.

“The postings are part of ongoing recruitment efforts and are not related to the Nov. 27 incident,” the SHA told CTV News in an email.

The job postings list wages between $22.60 and $24.21 per hour — roughly $45,000 a year.

Eight of the 14 positions list start dates that have already passed, with the oldest dating back to June 29.

“Recruitment for these positions can be challenging as there is competitive demand for these trained security professionals,” the SHA said.

SEIU West, the union that represents security officers, said pay and working conditions are contributing to high turnover.

“People are leaving faster than they can hire folks,” said Jason Monteith, the vice president of SEIU West.

“They’ll hire a group security officer and within a few months they’re leaving. A lot of it comes down to compensation, working conditions.”