Joanne Nicholson

The College alleged that the registrant committed professional misconduct by engaging in disgraceful, dishonourable, or unprofessional conduct, and conduct unbecoming a physician, through sexual harassment and boundary violations involving two younger female colleagues over whom he held professional and academic power.

The registrant did not contest the allegations.

The Tribunal found professional misconduct and accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, an eight-month suspension, and $6,000 in costs.

The registrant was found to have committed professional misconduct by failing to maintain the standard of practice and engaging in disgraceful, dishonourable, or unprofessional conduct during a prenatal appointment, specifically regarding inappropriate breast and spine examinations without informed consent.

At the penalty hearing, the Tribunal accepted a joint recommendation from the parties.

The registrant was ordered to be reprimanded, his certificate of registration was suspended for four months, and conditions were imposed requiring a practice monitor for all intimate examinations for a minimum of two years.

The registrant was also ordered to pay $26,740 in costs.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario brought a discipline proceeding against the registrant for engaging in unwanted communications and touching with a colleague.

Relying on a statement of uncontested facts, the Tribunal found that the registrant engaged in conduct that is disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional.

The Tribunal accepted a joint penalty submission, ordering a reprimand, an eight-month suspension of the registrant's certificate of registration, completion of an ethics and boundaries program, and costs of $6,000.

The College alleged that the registrant, a pediatrician, committed professional misconduct by providing medical care to a child patient while engaged in a close personal and romantic relationship with the child's parent.

The Tribunal found that the registrant breached College policies on maintaining appropriate boundaries and treating persons close to the physician, constituting disgraceful, dishonourable, or unprofessional conduct.

The Tribunal accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a three-month suspension, individualized instruction in medical ethics and boundary management, a reprimand, and $6,000 in costs.

The registrant was previously found to have committed professional misconduct by failing to obtain informed consent and conducting inappropriate physical examinations of two patients.

At the penalty hearing, the Tribunal accepted a joint submission on penalty.

The registrant was ordered to be reprimanded, suspended for five months, complete an ethics and boundaries course, and pay $30,000 in costs.

The Tribunal found the penalty met the goals of public protection, deterrence, and remediation, noting the registrant's lack of prior discipline and proactive remedial efforts.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario alleged that the registrant engaged in professional misconduct after she was disciplined in Newfoundland and Labrador for altering a patient's medical records and misleading the regulator.

The registrant admitted to the allegations.

The Tribunal found that the registrant engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable, or unprofessional conduct and committed an act of professional misconduct.

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Tribunal ordered a two-month suspension, a reprimand, and costs of $6,000.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario brought professional misconduct proceedings against the registrant, a family medicine practitioner.

The registrant admitted to failing to maintain the standard of practice of the profession through unnecessary treatments, inadequate record-keeping, and improperly performed procedures.

He also did not contest allegations of touching a patient in sensitive areas without adequate warning or explanation.

The Tribunal found the registrant committed professional misconduct.

Applying the test for joint submissions, the Tribunal accepted the jointly proposed penalty, ordering a four-month suspension, extensive terms, conditions, and limitations on his certificate of registration, and costs of $6,000.

The College alleged that the registrant physician sexually abused a female patient and failed to maintain the standard of practice during a prenatal appointment.

The Tribunal found that the registrant's examination of the patient's breasts through her clothing and his persistence in examining her spine despite her objections failed to meet the standard of practice.

The Tribunal also found that the substandard breast exam, performed without adequate consent, constituted disgraceful, dishonourable, or unprofessional conduct.

However, the Tribunal concluded that the College did not prove the allegations of sexual abuse, as the breast touching was not of a sexual nature and the evidence regarding genital touching was insufficiently reliable.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario brought disciplinary proceedings against the respondent physician for issuing approximately 1,425 improper COVID-19 medical exemptions for profit over a three-month period.

The respondent also failed to securely store patient information, breached patient privacy by discussing cases loudly in public, and responded aggressively to the College's investigation.

The respondent did not attend the hearing and was deemed to admit the allegations.

The Tribunal found the respondent committed professional misconduct and was incompetent.

Given the seriousness of the misconduct, the lack of mitigating factors, and the absence of any remediation plan, the Tribunal revoked the respondent's certificate of registration, ordered a reprimand, and awarded costs of $10,370 to the College.