Justice
April 18, 2011

New Act Will Require Health Facilities to
Disclose Gunshot and Stab Wounds to Police

The Provincial Government has introduced new legislation that will require health care facilities and ambulance services to notify the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary when they treat a person with a gunshot wound or any stab wound that is not deemed to be accidental or self-inflicted. Bill 17, an Act Respecting the Mandatory Reporting of Gunshot and Stab Wounds, received second reading in the House of Assembly today.

“The Provincial Government is committed to ensuring our police forces have all the necessary tools to effectively fight and investigate crime in our province,” said the Honourable Felix Collins, Minister of Justice and Attorney General. “This legislation will ensure that the RCMP and RNC are notified when a person is treated for these wounds. They will therefore be able to act immediately when made aware of a violent crime and thus be able to prevent further violence, injury or death.”

This act allows consistent reporting of violent situations involving guns or knives across the emergency health-care system while not significantly interfering with a patient’s privacy. Health care facilities will be required to verbally report to the police the person’s name, if they are being treated for a gunshot wound or stab wound that is not accidental or self-inflicted, and the name and location of the health care facility. The legislation stipulates that the reporting requirement should not interfere with the injured person’s treatment and there is protection from liability for those who report injuries in good faith.

“Our government values and protects the privacy of personal information and this legislation is not designed to undermine that protection,” said Minister Collins. “Our police forces also value that protection and while information will be shared with officers in the course of their investigations, that information will be protected.”

Similar legislation is also in place in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Quebec.

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Media contact:
Vanessa Colman-Sadd
Director of Communications
Department of Justice
709-729-6985, 682-6593
vanessacolmansadd@gov.nl.ca 

2011 04 18                                                         3:00 p.m.