Nurses stage sit-in at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital; public urged to avoid going to the ER
Several nurses at Montreal's Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital staged a sit-in Monday night and are threatening to quit, forcing the hospital to urge residents to avoid going to the emergency room overnight.
Around 100 nurses signed a petition earlier in the day calling for the immediate resignation of their manager, who is accused of imposing unreasonable mandatory overtime requirements, Noovo Info reported.
They threatened to walk off the job en masse by Wednesday if their demands aren't met.
A statement issued Monday night by the CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, the regional health board, urged the public to avoid going to the ER between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. Tuesday due to the "exceptional situation."
"Ambulatory patients will not be able to be managed overnight. The remaining ambulances will be redirected during the closure period to other facilities in the Greater Montreal area," the statement said, adding that current patients and patients admitted by ambulance in unstable conditions will continue to receive care.
The regional health board said it would reassess the situation Tuesday.
In the meantime, the CIUSSS recommended people with non-urgent medical conditions to consult their family doctor or pharmacist, a doctor in a walk-in clinic or contact the Info-Santé line at 811.
The nurses complained about cases where their shift is over but are required to stay longer until a replacement comes in, often with little to no advance warning.
Their union representative at the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec, Denis Cloutier, said that the threat to resign comes from them, and not from union councils.
HEALTH MINISTER MEETS CIUSSS
Vincent Marissal, the Liberal MNA for Rosemont, reacted to the sit-in on Twitter, writing that Health Minister Christian Dubé should intervene to settle the dispute.
Another opposition MNA, André Fortin, weighed into the hospital chaos. The Liberal health critic said on Twitter, "Why didn't you act proactively when the nurses were crying out?" in reference to the health minister.
Dubé said on Twitter that he met with the head of the regional health board Monday evening to discuss the situation, which he described as "untenable."
"Our priority is to ensure the safety of all patients. That's why the difficult decision was made to limit activity in the ER for tonight. We will provide an update on the situation tomorrow."
This is a developing story that will be updated.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.