Inquest for slain nurse

A coroner's jury that probed the death of an on-duty nurse in the southern Ontario city of Windsor is calling for the province to change its workplace legislation to include abuse and harassment as a safety concern. Lori Dupont, 37, was stabbed to death on Nov. 17, 2005, by ex-boyfriend and anesthesiologist Marc Daniel at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Hospital where they worked. After killing Dupont, Daniel injected himself with a drug overdose and died a few days later. Among the 26 recommendations by the four-member jury that were released Tuesday was that the province's Occupational Health and Safety Act, which protects workers against health and safety hazards on the job, be expanded to include harassment and abuse as grounds to refuse to work. An inquest is held to determine what lessons may be learned to prevent similar tragedies, and does not lay blame. After hearing from more than 50 witnesses in the past two months, the jury probing Dupont's death also recommended that the hospital review its bylaws and establish clear codes of behaviour. As well, the jury urged the hospital to ensure employees are educated about issues of domestic violence and how to deal with them, and asked for a review of the Public Hospitals Act to examine hospitals' relationships with their doctors. Nurse, doctor had history Dupont and Daniel had been romantically involved until February 2005. Around that same time, Daniel attempted suicide for the first time. The inquest heard that Dupont was repeatedly harassed at work by the doctor, who was characterized by one colleague as a bully. Dupont had applied for a peace bond against Daniel, and was waiting for a court date when he resumed working at Hôtel-Dieu in June that year. The hospital, which had helped Dupont prepare the court application, offered her security escorts to her car and reserved a parking spot for her next to the security office. Before delivering their recommendations, the jury expressed sincere condolences to the families of both Dupont and Daniel, and said they took their responsibility at the inquest seriously. Dupont's mother, Barbara, said she was thrilled with the recommendations, saying the jury really understood what needed to be done. Neil McEvoy, CEO of Hôtel-Dieu Grace Hospital, also said he was pleased by the report, but wanted to take time to read over the document before responding to specifics. He did, however, repeat the hospital's promise to take all of the recommendations seriously and implement them if possible. With files from the Canadian Press