Expert says 'bold' action needed on B.C. doctors and nurses accused of anti-vaccine misinformation
CBC
More than a year after a B.C. doctor began circulating a letter declaring the COVID-19 pandemic "over" and speaking at rallies against masks and vaccines, there's still no resolution to the numerous complaints filed against him.
Dr. Stephen Malthouse, now the subject of further investigation for his alleged involvement with a business offering phoney mask and vaccine exemption 'certificates,' is currently a fully licensed doctor with no limits on his medical practice, according to the College of Physicians and Surgeons.
That comes as a shock to Harry Cayton, an international expert on professional regulation who completed a review of B.C.'s health colleges in 2019.
"If you are standing up in public and saying I'm a doctor and I'm going to say things which are contrary to good medical practice, then you are, I think, in breach of standards and you should be challenged by the regulator," Cayton told CBC News.
"That is very different from saying in the privacy of your own home to your spouse, 'I'm not keen on this vaccination lark.'"
Several health professional colleges in B.C. have had to confront concerns about licensed medical professionals discouraging COVID-19 vaccination and spreading unproven claims about the virus.
Just this week, the College of Nurses and Midwives issued a warning in response to public statements from unvaccinated nurses calling themselves 'NURZ's and declaring they are "divorcing" from the college because of B.C.'s vaccine requirement for health-care workers.
These cases highlight a struggle Cayton says regulators around the world are dealing with as they attempt to draw a line between the importance of respecting personal opinion and encouraging scientific debate on the one hand, and keeping the public safe from COVID-19 on the other.
It also calls attention to the different approaches that Canadian provinces are taking when dealing with health professionals accused of spreading misinformation.
"If necessary, government has to step in and clarify the law around these things," Cayton said.
"We have to say that it's not in the public interest in the present circumstances for people to be discouraging other people from protecting themselves from the virus."
According to a petition filed by Malthouse in B.C. Supreme Court in June, the college has informed him of its intention to reprimand him and ban him from speaking about COVID-19 in response to complaints from at least 10 other physicians.
Malthouse has argued that's an infringement of his right to free speech and is asking for the courts to step in, claiming in his petition that his statements on the pandemic are "backed and supported by sound scientific and medical peer-reviewed literature and evidence."
The college says it is unable to comment on the proposed disciplinary action or the next step in that case.
It’s been a deadly year on Calgary’s streets.
Jails in northern Ontario are facing some of the worst overcrowding pressures in the province, with population data showing dramatic increases since 2019.
Northwest Toronto's newly-opened light-rail transit (LRT) line is getting its first major test Monday, as weekday commuters bring rush hour to the Finch West LRT for the first time.
Demolition of Kitchener's Frederick Street bridge is underway in order to prepare for work on a new Highway 7 between Guelph and Kitchener.
With her siblings, parents and late husband in mind, Marguerite Keating requested the song O Holy Night during a Sunday service in Charlottetown.
The majority of fraud cases in Ontario have ended with charges being stayed or withdrawn since 2020 because of COVID-19-related backlogs, the growing complexity of frauds, and a lack of resources in the province’s criminal justice system, according to the Ontario Crown Attorneys’ Association.
Ontario Provincial Police in Elgin County say one person has died in a fatal collision along Hwy. 401 in Dutton, west of London.
A southwestern Nova Scotia community is hoping its successful purchase of a historic Acadian church will serve as a model for other communities to follow.
The Queen Elizabeth Drive area near Youghall Beach in Bathurst, N.B., got flooded by Saturday's high tide.
Residents of a Winnipeg highrise have been told it could take up to five business days for both its elevators to be repaired in the aftermath of a power outage on Thursday.
Several parts of the province are expected to see a wet and cold start to the week as Environment Canada has issued several rainfall and snowfall warnings.
Peel police have charged four youths and recovered a stolen vehicle after an attempted robbery in Mississauga Wednesday.
The Arctic Winter Games International Committee has approved a shift to a three-year-cycle through 2032. The games have previously been held every two years.