The city's only free drug and alcohol detox centre has been forced to close a third of its beds after half its nurses quit en masse.
Out of 12 nurses at the Dollard-Cormier Centre on Prince Arthur St., six have quit, saying they couldn't handle the stress and the double-overtime shifts.
The union's president, Josianne Moreau, says management has promised them for months that it would hire more nurses, and that those on the payroll would come in not knowing if they would be working an eight- or a 16-hour shift.
As a result of the resignations, the centre has decided to shut down 10 of its 28 beds.
Officials at the local regional health authority say they are actively trying to recruit new nurses, but are dealing with a nursing shortage which is being felt province-wide.
For his part, health minister Gaetan Barrette says he will step in if needed, but adds he wants both sides to work things out for themselves.
“It has to be addressed first by the unions and management. We'll have conversations with them to see where they are going and if they are going in the right direction. And if it is needed, intervention on my part, I will intervene,” he said.