Workplace violence a ‘growing epidemic’ in Manitoba, federation says

Workplace violence injuries in Manitoba have tripled over the past decade, according to a new report that calls the trend an "epidemic" driven by understaffing, inadequate training and a culture of blaming victims.

Workplace violence injuries in Manitoba have tripled over the past decade, according to a new report that calls the trend an “epidemic” driven by understaffing, inadequate training and a culture of blaming victims. The 57-page report, released Monday by the Manitoba Federation of Labour (MFL), draws on firsthand accounts from workers in health care, education, transit, retail, security, social work, corrections and emergency response. It includes 10 recommendations for elected officials and employers.

“Imagine going to work every day, knowing there’s a good chance that you or your coworker will be hit, spit on, threatened, or even attacked with weapons by patients, customers, or members of the public,” said MFL president Kevin Rebeck. “Unfortunately, thousands of working Manitobans don’t have to imagine it. They live these realities every day.”

In 2025, nearly 2,200 workplace violence injuries were reported to the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba (WCB) — up from 641 a decade earlier. Within the past two years alone, the number of workplace violence injuries jumped 20 per cent. Karen Naylor, a labour studies instructor at the University of Manitoba, called the statistics “damning” during a news conference on Monday.

Naylor conducted the majority of the 38 interviews behind the report, speaking with union members from across the MFL, which represents 130,000 unionized employees in the province. The report points to several cross-sector issues demanding action, including workplace cultures that treat violence as simply “part of the job,” and the tendency among employers to blame violence on the workers who experience it rather than on gaps in their own health and safety programs. Ten occupations — among them nurses, bus drivers, security guards, early childhood educators and social service workers — account for roughly 80 per cent of all time-loss workplace violence injuries recorded in 2025.

Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations made up more than 14 per cent of last year’s time-loss injuries on their own. The report also notes that workplace violence “disproportionately” affects women, who represented about 60 per cent of all time-loss workplace violence injuries in 2024, which is the most recent year for which data is available. Nearly 40 per cent of all violent workplace injuries in Manitoba are experienced by health-care workers specifically.

The true scope of workplace violence is likely even larger than the numbers suggest, the report notes. Roughly 25 per cent of Manitoba’s workforce — including teachers — isn’t covered by the WCB and therefore isn’t captured in the data. The report also alleges that injured workers are sometimes pressured by employers not to file WCB claims in order to keep employer premiums low — a practice it describes as claim suppression.

Rebeck said the federation has developed 10 “common sense recommendations” that, if implemented, “would go a long way towards curbing and eventually ending workplace violence in our province.” The first recommendation calls for a provincial workplace violence prevention strategy. Others include funding safe staffing levels, ensuring security personnel are “highly trained,” and developing a formal training standard on workplace violence.

“While the regulation requires that all workplaces undertake a workplace violence hazard assessment, there’s no evidence that the Province of Manitoba has ever undertaken a focused enforcement campaign,” Rebeck said. “If violent hazards are not assessed, it goes without saying they won’t be addressed.” “The level of workplace violence in Manitoba seems daunting, because it is,” Rebeck said.

“Far too many workers face violence on the job, but it doesn’t have to be this way. By working together and making this a priority, we can reduce and we can end workplace violence.” CTV News has reached out to Labour Minister Malaya Marcelino for comment.