Story by globalnewsdigital • Apr 22, 2023
Video: The rise of violence in Canada’s public libraries
The random acts of violence that are happening on our streets and in our transit systems in cities across Canada are also making their way into public libraries.
Local branches of all sizes are reporting an increase in verbal and physical violence. And for some, the pandemic made it even worse.
Over the past two years, one person died and six others were injured in a mass stabbing in a public library in North Vancouver. Last December, 28-year-old Tyree Cayer was killed during a visit to Winnipeg’s Millennium Library. Four teenagers were charged in his death. And two branches of the Saskatoon library were closed temporarily because of concerns about staff safety.
Cameron Ray, a supervisor librarian with Toronto Public Library, said he has lived the experience first hand — and several times.
“I did have one year where every three months I was assaulted. This guy chased me around the branch with a pair of hair scissors, like, 'I’m going to stab you,'" he says. "That was terrifying.”
Ray and colleague Eila McLeish met when they worked together at the Toronto Reference Library. McLeish has been screamed at, sworn at, and even stalked by a disgruntled patron.
“I’ve come across overdose victims, people who are unconscious.”
McLeish came across a dead body in a library washroom. “That was pretty horrible,” she adds.
McLeish changed to a smaller branch, but she says it got worse. She has received counselling and was on sick leave for a year before returning to work in April.
Experts say libraries are a reflection of the world around them. And society’s problems are finding their way inside their doors.
“People are coming into the library and they have really significant needs,” says Siobhan Stevenson, a professor with the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto.
“There are all kinds of social crises, humanitarian crises, in our cities: homelessness, the opioid epidemic, random acts of violence … a social safety net that’s been so diminished,” she told Global News’ The New Reality.
That’s left many people with complex needs with often nowhere to go for support. Public libraries, by their very nature, are committed to being welcoming and inclusive.
“Individuals come to our locations because they feel that it's a safe place that they can come into," says Brian Daly, chief human resources officer at the Toronto Public Library, the largest library system in North America in terms of branches.
"Because of that, we need to be able to provide the services to them here on site because this is where they come.”
He also points out that only a tiny fraction of visits to Toronto’s library branches turn violent.
“About 20 of our branches have high numbers of violent or disruptive incidents out of our 100. And of nine and a half million visits, there were about 300 that involved a violent incident,” Daly says.
“But having said that, if you're the person who is experiencing that incident as a worker or as a customer of ours, even one incident is too many.”
Toronto trains library staff on how to deal with people who have experienced trauma.
Toronto also spends $3 million a year on security guards who are assigned to 40 of the system's 100 branches.
But Daly believes that’s only one piece of the puzzle.
“It's not a matter of just adding more and more guards. That's not the answer to this. We don't want to create an environment where people feel intimidated coming into our branches.”
Related video: Canadian premiers look to address public safety (Global News)
Community Crisis Workers
Libraries across the country are grappling with finding a balance between supporting those with complex needs and keeping all visitors and staff safe.
The Edmonton Public Library recognized early on that there was a gap between the needs of some of its more vulnerable clients and the services the library was providing. So it brought in people who were most equipped to help: social workers. It was the first library in Canada to do so.
The outreach workers are now a vital resource, connecting people with the services they need, such as accessing information on where to find a shelter or a hot meal or how to obtain an I.D. card.
“People started to learn that the library was the place you could come for those supports. They could sit. They could be comfortable. They were welcomed,” says Sharon Day, the executive director of customer experience at the Edmonton Public Library.
Hilary Kirkpatrick is a social worker at the Edmonton Public Library. She says providing these services works because the space is accessible, clients are treated with respect and they don’t feel judged.
“We’re able to really meet clients where they’re at and serve their needs,” Kirkpatrick says.
Social workers have also become an important part of the team at other libraries including Halifax, Calgary, Winnipeg and London.
Toronto is launching its own pilot programs to support vulnerable visitors. In addition to connecting them with resources, they will also help identify and deal with problems on the floor before they escalate.
“These are social workers. These are individuals with mental health backgrounds who can come in and talk to individuals who are in distress,” Daly says.
Toronto is also hiring six library safety specialists who will work not only with clients who need help, but with staff who are often on the receiving end of verbal or physical assaults.
“Most of the time it is someone who has been spit up, chewed up and spit out by society and they’re at the end of their rope,” Ray says.
He and McLeish believe libraries need these kinds of programs because librarians and staff are not always equipped to handle these potentially volatile situations.
“It’s so hard when you can’t actually help someone,” Ray says. “As much as we would love to be able to have relationships with all these people and help them, we can’t because I’m trained on Dewey Decimal.”
Stevenson has studied the use of social workers in libraries and seen firsthand the difference they can make. But she worries they will be seen as an easy solution that will justify the further dismantling of social programs.
“It’s a much bigger policy problem,” she says.
The opioid crisis has also contributed to the rise in violence. The Toronto Public Library found a connection between the location of the branches with the most incidents and suspected opioid overdose hotspots in the city.
“There's a lot of correlation with the kind of challenges we're experiencing more broadly in society,” Daly says.
The Edmonton Public Library also saw an uptick in drug-related incidents. “We saw 99 poisonings in our branches in 2022, which is the biggest difference in what we would see pre-pandemic,” Day says.
Edmonton's library system brought in an opioid response team and added washroom attendants at its most affected branches.
Security Measures
In response to the death of Tyree Cayer, the Millennium Library in Winnipeg installed a metal detector and added a regular police presence. It wasn’t the first time visitors were checked on their way in.
In 2019, handheld detectors were used to screen visitors. But they were removed one year later after community groups protested they kept out the people who needed library services the most.
Tania Cayer, Tyree’s mother, feels the opposition to the extra security measures is misplaced.
“People who do not work at that library, I do not believe should even have an opinion on whether a metal detector is put up or not,” she says. “It is to keep those people safe.”
Tania doesn’t blame the library. She believes there are bigger issues at play.
“Winnipeg is struggling with youth crime. It's struggling with drugs. There are a million and one issues. This is just one of them.” she says.
Tania Cayer’s son, Tyree died from a fatal stabbing at Winnipeg’s Millennium Library in December 2022.© Provided by Global News
Still, many libraries are against the addition of entrance barriers because of the concern it will discourage vulnerable clients from coming through their doors.
“There are always going to be challenges when you’re in a public space dealing with every kind of person,” Day says. “The beautiful thing about it is that everybody’s welcome here, but it’s also one of the hard things about it as everybody’s welcome here.”
The Library of the future: community hub
If you haven’t been to a public library lately, chances are you’ll be surprised by what you see. It’s not just about books anymore.
Libraries are a mirror, reflecting people in communities and their evolving needs. That means big changes at public libraries everywhere.
They are constantly adapting to meet these new challenges, at the same time, taking learning to a whole new level, with 3-D printers, recording studios filled with instruments, community kitchens —even places to try the latest video games. There are wide open spaces to relax and study.
“Think of your community library, your local library … as the community's living room. A third space. It's not work. It's not home. It's this other space,” Stevenson says.
A library of the future that looks nothing like the library of the past.
Almost 90% of N.S. teachers believe school violence on the rise: survey
Story by Alex Cooke • Apr 27, 2023
Police monitor the situation at Charles P. Allen High School, in Halifax, Monday, March 20, 2023. A 15-year-old student accused of stabbing two staff members at a Halifax-area high school earlier this week remains in custody and is to return to court next month.
Story by Alex Cooke • Apr 27, 2023
Police monitor the situation at Charles P. Allen High School, in Halifax, Monday, March 20, 2023. A 15-year-old student accused of stabbing two staff members at a Halifax-area high school earlier this week remains in custody and is to return to court next month.
© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Riley Smith
A new survey from the Nova Scotia Teachers Union indicates most of the province's teachers believe school violence is on the rise, and more than half have been the victim of a violent act or threat while at work.
In a release, the union said 87 per cent of teachers and educational specialists who responded to the survey believe school violence increased since 2018, and 92 per cent said they've witnessed violence first-hand at school.
As well, 55 per cent of respondents said they were the victim of a violent act or threat while at work.
“All too often I receive phone calls and emails from teachers who are upset and concerned about a violent event they witnessed or experienced at school,” said NSTU president Ryan Lutes in a statement.
“Incidents between students are becoming more frequent, more severe and alarmingly more dangerous. Teachers and school staff members are often kicked, bit, hit, punched, threatened and verbally abused.
"Unfortunately, these incidents frequently go unaddressed or are characterized as just part of going to school. This is unacceptable.”
The online survey was conducted between March 27 and April 13, and a total of 2,534 NSTU members completed it. There are more than 9,000 total NSTU members in the province.
A further 52 per cent of respondents said they were "very concerned" about the current level of violence in their school, and 38 per cent said they were "somewhat concerned."
In an interview, Lutes said the results of the survey are "absolutely really concerning."
"It's really troubling, and at the same time, it's not a surprise from the conversations that I've had with teachers," he said. "The conversations anecdotally and the evidence we're getting from the survey are matching up."
Of the respondents who witnessed violence in schools, 84 per cent said the incident involved student-toward-student violence, and 79 per cent witnessed violence from students toward teachers or school staff.
Twenty-one per cent said they witnessed violence from other adults -- such as a parent or caregiver -- toward school staff. Respondents were allowed to choose more than one option.
Only 17 of the teachers surveyed -- less than one per cent -- believed that violence levels in schools were on the decline.
More than 13,000 violent incidents last year
According to data from the provincial government, there were 13,776 physical violence incidents in Nova Scotia schools in the 2021-22 school year.
With a total of 125,124 enrolments last year, that represents an incidence rate of 11 per cent – though the report said students are often responsible for more than one incident, so the number of students involved is “much less.”
Physical violence is defined as “using force, gesturing, or inciting others to use force to injure a member of the school community.”
Further provincial data obtained under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act indicates there have been tens of thousands of violent incidents in Nova Scotia schools over the last five years:
13,991 incidents in the 2017-18 school year (representing 11.76 per cent of total enrolment)
14,864 in 2018-19 (12.32 per cent)
10,386 in 2019-20 (8.43 per cent)
11,132 in 2020-21 (9.6 per cent.)
While the numbers were lower in 2019-20 and 2020-21, those years were impacted by school shutdowns during COVID-19.
The issue of violence in schools was pushed further into the spotlight last month, after two staff members were stabbed at Charles P. Allen High School in the community of Bedford.
The 15-year-old student accused in the stabbings was charged with two counts of attempted murder and was recently found to be fit to stand trial.
Lutes said violence in schools has long been an "evolving conversation" among teachers, but the recent incident at Charles P. Allen High "highlighted the issue."
That "made us want to get more data from our members about what they're seeing on the ground in schools every day," he said.
Last month, Global News spoke with a former educational program assistant, who recently quit due to burnout and said staff are ill-equipped to deal with violent incidents involving students.
A new survey from the Nova Scotia Teachers Union indicates most of the province's teachers believe school violence is on the rise, and more than half have been the victim of a violent act or threat while at work.
In a release, the union said 87 per cent of teachers and educational specialists who responded to the survey believe school violence increased since 2018, and 92 per cent said they've witnessed violence first-hand at school.
As well, 55 per cent of respondents said they were the victim of a violent act or threat while at work.
“All too often I receive phone calls and emails from teachers who are upset and concerned about a violent event they witnessed or experienced at school,” said NSTU president Ryan Lutes in a statement.
“Incidents between students are becoming more frequent, more severe and alarmingly more dangerous. Teachers and school staff members are often kicked, bit, hit, punched, threatened and verbally abused.
"Unfortunately, these incidents frequently go unaddressed or are characterized as just part of going to school. This is unacceptable.”
The online survey was conducted between March 27 and April 13, and a total of 2,534 NSTU members completed it. There are more than 9,000 total NSTU members in the province.
A further 52 per cent of respondents said they were "very concerned" about the current level of violence in their school, and 38 per cent said they were "somewhat concerned."
In an interview, Lutes said the results of the survey are "absolutely really concerning."
"It's really troubling, and at the same time, it's not a surprise from the conversations that I've had with teachers," he said. "The conversations anecdotally and the evidence we're getting from the survey are matching up."
Of the respondents who witnessed violence in schools, 84 per cent said the incident involved student-toward-student violence, and 79 per cent witnessed violence from students toward teachers or school staff.
Twenty-one per cent said they witnessed violence from other adults -- such as a parent or caregiver -- toward school staff. Respondents were allowed to choose more than one option.
Only 17 of the teachers surveyed -- less than one per cent -- believed that violence levels in schools were on the decline.
More than 13,000 violent incidents last year
According to data from the provincial government, there were 13,776 physical violence incidents in Nova Scotia schools in the 2021-22 school year.
With a total of 125,124 enrolments last year, that represents an incidence rate of 11 per cent – though the report said students are often responsible for more than one incident, so the number of students involved is “much less.”
Physical violence is defined as “using force, gesturing, or inciting others to use force to injure a member of the school community.”
Further provincial data obtained under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act indicates there have been tens of thousands of violent incidents in Nova Scotia schools over the last five years:
13,991 incidents in the 2017-18 school year (representing 11.76 per cent of total enrolment)
14,864 in 2018-19 (12.32 per cent)
10,386 in 2019-20 (8.43 per cent)
11,132 in 2020-21 (9.6 per cent.)
While the numbers were lower in 2019-20 and 2020-21, those years were impacted by school shutdowns during COVID-19.
The issue of violence in schools was pushed further into the spotlight last month, after two staff members were stabbed at Charles P. Allen High School in the community of Bedford.
The 15-year-old student accused in the stabbings was charged with two counts of attempted murder and was recently found to be fit to stand trial.
Lutes said violence in schools has long been an "evolving conversation" among teachers, but the recent incident at Charles P. Allen High "highlighted the issue."
That "made us want to get more data from our members about what they're seeing on the ground in schools every day," he said.
Last month, Global News spoke with a former educational program assistant, who recently quit due to burnout and said staff are ill-equipped to deal with violent incidents involving students.
Data from the Workers Compensation Board of Nova Scotia indicates that those in the education sector covered by the WCB report a “relatively high” number of workplace injuries caused by violence.
From 2013 to 2022, there were a total of 6,303 injuries reported to the WCB from education administration workers, which includes educational assistants, educational program assistants, administrative assistants, caretakers and custodians. Teachers were excluded from that data as they are covered by another insurer.
Of those 6,303 WCB claims, 787 – or about 12 per cent – were attributed to incidents of violence. And 189 of those cases (24 per cent) were time loss claims, which means the injuries were severe enough to cause the worker to miss three or more days of work.
For comparison, injuries due to incidents of violence accounted for 15 per cent of reported injuries for security and investigation services workers, 14 per cent for covered local police forces, 14 per cent for correctional services, nine per cent for nursing home workers and six per cent for employees at general hospitals.
Video: Halifax police detail ‘traumatic’ school stabbing after student charged with attempted murder
Lutes, the NSTU president, said violence in schools is a "complex issue," and he believes part of it stems from a lack of support for students.
"Our classrooms in schools have become more complex, and staffing in our schools has not kept up with that complexity," he said.
"I've got to believe, as a teacher and as a dad, that most students, if they are being violent in our schools, they don't want to be. They are reaching out for help, they're reaching out for support that they're not getting."
Lutes is calling on the provincial government to do more to address school violence. He said the union has shared the information gathered through the survey with the province and is prepared to work with the government.
"We need a wholesale, provincial-wide, all-hands-on deck approach to this, because we can't have kids learning in schools that aren't safe, and we can't have teachers and school staff working in schools that aren't safe," he said.
'Any violent incident in a school is concerning'
In a statement, Education Minister Becky Druhan said the province is committed to ensuring school safety by "providing foundations to strong relationships, maintaining the code of conduct, and through a commitment to continuous improvement."
She said she met with the NSTU regarding the survey results, and will continue to work with the union, the Nova Scotia Public School Administrators Association, and other organizations.
"Any violent incident in a school is concerning for students, staff, and families. Schools reflect their communities, and the challenges of the communities make their way into schools," she said. "We can’t separate schools from their communities. What we can do is continue to provide programs, resources, and professional supports to help teachers and other staff to help children."
Druhan said the province has added wraparound supports, with more than 1,000 inclusive education programs and positions to the public school system over the last five years, including behaviour and autism specialists, school psychologists, social workers, and mental health clinicians.
"We will continue to support the professional learning of teachers and provide training to respond to complex needs and individual circumstances," Druhan said.
Last month, Druhan told Global News the province has increased the education budget by $122 million from last year, and added 63 teachers and 68 inclusive education positions within HRCE alone.
“We are continuing to add resources and support to the system to grow and to meet our student’s needs,” she said.
Druhan said safety is a “fundamental priority” for the province and there is work underway to help students develop and build better relationships. She noted that there is a provincial code of conduct for all educators and administrators to prepare for the “unfortunate and serious incidents that sometimes do occur.”
She added that there is an emergency response plan in every school.
“Having said all that, we can always do more,” said Druhan.
From 2013 to 2022, there were a total of 6,303 injuries reported to the WCB from education administration workers, which includes educational assistants, educational program assistants, administrative assistants, caretakers and custodians. Teachers were excluded from that data as they are covered by another insurer.
Of those 6,303 WCB claims, 787 – or about 12 per cent – were attributed to incidents of violence. And 189 of those cases (24 per cent) were time loss claims, which means the injuries were severe enough to cause the worker to miss three or more days of work.
For comparison, injuries due to incidents of violence accounted for 15 per cent of reported injuries for security and investigation services workers, 14 per cent for covered local police forces, 14 per cent for correctional services, nine per cent for nursing home workers and six per cent for employees at general hospitals.
Video: Halifax police detail ‘traumatic’ school stabbing after student charged with attempted murder
Lutes, the NSTU president, said violence in schools is a "complex issue," and he believes part of it stems from a lack of support for students.
"Our classrooms in schools have become more complex, and staffing in our schools has not kept up with that complexity," he said.
"I've got to believe, as a teacher and as a dad, that most students, if they are being violent in our schools, they don't want to be. They are reaching out for help, they're reaching out for support that they're not getting."
Lutes is calling on the provincial government to do more to address school violence. He said the union has shared the information gathered through the survey with the province and is prepared to work with the government.
"We need a wholesale, provincial-wide, all-hands-on deck approach to this, because we can't have kids learning in schools that aren't safe, and we can't have teachers and school staff working in schools that aren't safe," he said.
'Any violent incident in a school is concerning'
In a statement, Education Minister Becky Druhan said the province is committed to ensuring school safety by "providing foundations to strong relationships, maintaining the code of conduct, and through a commitment to continuous improvement."
She said she met with the NSTU regarding the survey results, and will continue to work with the union, the Nova Scotia Public School Administrators Association, and other organizations.
"Any violent incident in a school is concerning for students, staff, and families. Schools reflect their communities, and the challenges of the communities make their way into schools," she said. "We can’t separate schools from their communities. What we can do is continue to provide programs, resources, and professional supports to help teachers and other staff to help children."
Druhan said the province has added wraparound supports, with more than 1,000 inclusive education programs and positions to the public school system over the last five years, including behaviour and autism specialists, school psychologists, social workers, and mental health clinicians.
"We will continue to support the professional learning of teachers and provide training to respond to complex needs and individual circumstances," Druhan said.
Last month, Druhan told Global News the province has increased the education budget by $122 million from last year, and added 63 teachers and 68 inclusive education positions within HRCE alone.
“We are continuing to add resources and support to the system to grow and to meet our student’s needs,” she said.
Druhan said safety is a “fundamental priority” for the province and there is work underway to help students develop and build better relationships. She noted that there is a provincial code of conduct for all educators and administrators to prepare for the “unfortunate and serious incidents that sometimes do occur.”
She added that there is an emergency response plan in every school.
“Having said all that, we can always do more,” said Druhan.
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