As of September 1st, it will be mandatory for Saskatchewan hospitals to report all gunshot and stab wounds to local police services.


Justice Minister Frank Quennell says the government it's always intended to protect health information. This legislation makes it clear that violent crime will be reported to police without disrupting the patients care.

Reporting will be limited to the identification of the patient, the fact that they have suffered a gunshot or stab wound, and the location of the hospital facility where they have been treated.

Saskatchewan is the second jurisdiction in Canada after Ontario to enact this type of legislation, and the first to include stab wounds.

According to Minister Quennell, previous reporting was discretionary and often resulted in confusion within the health services and policing communities.