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Publications & Resources > The Standard > September 2005

   Last modified: Aug. 25, 2005

Gunshot reporting legislation receives royal assent

Hospitals and other specified health care facilities will be required to report the names of all clients who present with gunshot wounds. At the time of writing, the Mandatory Gunshot Reporting Act (Bill 110) had received royal assent. The proclamation of the bill had not yet occurred; however, once proclaimed, the bill is enforceable.

The new legislation eliminates the need for health care professionals to weigh the issues of client confidentiality and public safety by requiring that all gunshot injuries be reported to police. This mandatory requirement is comparable to the reporting requirement for suspected child abuse.

Other health care facilities may be included when the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care develops regulations. The legislation does not specify which health care professionals are responsible for the reporting. However, the regulations may later identify who is responsible, on behalf of the facility, for promptly disclosing the following information:

  • the name of the client, if known, and
  • the location of the reporting facility.

Last fall, the Ministry asked the College to submit its opinion on the proposed bill. The College responded that nurses have a professional duty to maintain confidentiality and are expected to use their professional judgment to determine when it is in the public interest to report a gunshot wound.

For the College’s initial response to the bill, see the September 2004 issue of The Standard. To read the bill, visit the website www.e-laws.gov.on.ca.

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