The First Nations Health Ombudsperson Office has presented their own recommendations for an independent review of health facility protective services.
The review is currently being undertaken by former chief coroner Clive Weighill and comes after several high-profile incidents involved security at Saskatchewan hospitals.
st will be evaluating security operations across 26 health facilities in the province and was initiated by the Ministry of Health.
The Ombudsperson’s office says they recently met with Weighill and provided their own recommendations.
These recommendations call for increased Indigenous representation on health boards and policy teams, independent review mechanisms for security complaints, and mandatory cultural safety training for security personnel.
“When protective services operate without clear oversight, they cease to protect patients and instead become instruments of systemic harm. A lack of accountability transforms a hospital from a place of healing into a space of compromised safety for First Nations people,” said Dianne Lafond, First Nations Health Ombudsperson. “These recommendations offer an opportunity to monitor accountability and move toward mechanisms of positive change.”
The recommendations presented by FNHOO center on three main areas:
Increasing First Nations representation in decision-making spaces across the healthcare system, including governance boards, policy creation, and service delivery, while expanding consultations to include patients, Friendship Centres, and community organizations.
Strengthening oversight and performance monitoring by exploring independent review mechanisms for security complaints, introducing patient navigators, and requiring mandatory training in cultural safety, anti-racism, de-escalation, and trauma-informed care for security and healthcare staff.
Reviewing system policies governing protective service interventions and secure clinical spaces to prioritize patient rights and reduce the use of force, alongside increasing funding for mental health and addictions services and bringing health operations into alignment with human rights frameworks and the TRC Calls to Action.
FNHOO also highlighted that the current 26-site review lacks patient focus groups, warning that direct testimony from individuals impacted by protective services is critical to preventing ongoing systemic failures.
(Photo provided by the FNHOO)