Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra Hospital implements bag-search policy after stabbing
Posted April 28, 2026 9:32 am.
Last Updated April 28, 2026 6:46 pm.
All bags brought into the Royal Alexandra Hospital emergency department will be searched going forward, a safety measure that was fast-tracked following a stabbing at the hospital downtown Edmonton hospital earlier this month.
Alberta Health Services says the Royal Alexandra’s protective services team will search all bags to ensure no weapons or prohibited items are brought into the emergency department.
The hospital is also implementing a one-bag-per-person policy for all patients and visitors. AHS says the hospital will have “methods in place to secure extra bags if required.”
“Reducing the number of bags in the ED will help staff and physicians maintain a safe work environment by keeping aisles clear of tripping hazards, and ensuring chair and table space is available for patients and their support people,” AHS wrote in a news release.
Exceptions will be made for people needing extra bags for medical devices, medical supplies, or child-care items.
A 42-year-old man sustained life-threatening injuries in the stabbing at the Royal Alexandra on April 3 following a fight with another man. Edmonton police said one of the men was found with three edged-weapons; he has been charged with assault with a weapon and two counts of failing to comply with probation.
“There was a lot of commotion and people were panicking,” Jordan Scott, who witnessed the incident, told CityNews in the days after the attack. “That’s when I saw the knife and blood going everywhere.”
Alberta’s hospital minister, Matt Jones, said at the time his government was working to speed up the implementation of an already-approved security plan for the hospital.
That plan, unveiled Tuesday, also includes limiting visitors or support people to one at a time per emergency department patient, with exceptions being made for patients requiring additional care. AHS says this policy will “help reduce noise and provide more room for those who need to be there.”
