MacDougall: A love of public service defined my father

Over the past six months alone, health care workers have been stabbed, physically assaulted and told to run for shelter as bullets struck the outside of an emergency department in unrelated safety incidents at hospitals across Canada. Front-line workers say these violent events offer just a small glimpse at life behind ER doors, where verbal and physical violence appear to be rising, putting both patients and staff at risk. Primary among the concerns is the increasing presence of weapons – particularly knives.