B.C. chiropractor facing trial for sexual assault agrees to permanent cancellation of licence

A chiropractor in British Columbia who has faced several allegations over the last three decades of sexually assaulting or inappropriately touching his patients has agreed to permanently give up his licence ahead of his next criminal trial.

Murray Kievit's registration will be cancelled for life as of July 31, even though he denies allegations of improperly touching a patient, according to a notice from the College of Chiropractors of B.C.

Kievit, from Vernon, B.C., is set to go to trial in January on two counts of sexual assault, the B.C. Prosecution Service confirmed Thursday. The Crown is not releasing further details of the allegations, including whether the criminal case involves a patient.

Kievit could not be reached for comment.

This will not be his first trial for sexual assault or his first brush with professional discipline for inappropriate touching.

Twenty-three years ago, Kievit was found not guilty of sexual assault after six women alleged he had touched their breasts and pubic areas during treatments between 1995 and 1998, according to reports in the Vernon Morning Star newspaper at that time.

Following his acquittal in 2000, Kievit signed a consent agreement with the college admitting that he had failed to meet the expected standard of care "in relation to the provision of treatment in the patient's pubic area that resulted in unintentional violations of their sexual integrity," according to a public notice.

That consent agreement included a fine, restrictions on his ability to do pubic treatments and a promise to minimize accidental contact with patients' breasts and genitals.

Kievit was disciplined again in 2009 after admitting he didn't get consent before placing his hands in the front of a patient's pants to treat her pubic bone, according to another public notice.

He also acknowledged improper use of a teddy bear during that treatment, the college says, which was "without clinical benefit, inappropriate to any intended clinical purpose, and demonstrated a lack of gender sensitivity."

The college's notice does not go into any further explanation of how the teddy bear was used, but says the incident resulted in discipline measures including a three-month suspension and an apology letter to the patient.

In response to the most recent complaint of inappropriate touching, Kievit has been required to have a chaperone present during all appointments with female patients since January 2022.

Now his licence has been permanently cancelled, Kievit has also agreed not to engage in any form of health care again, and must pay costs of $1,000.