Former Simcoe County doctor stripped of medical licence after sexual abuse ruling
Warning: Details in this report may be disturbing and triggering for some viewers.
After being found guilty of sexual abuse involving patients and a nurse, the Ontario Physicians and Surgeons Discipline Tribunal has ruled that former Angus and Wasaga Beach family physician James McInnis will lose his licence to practice medicine.
McInnis, who was absent during Wednesday's tribunal proceedings, resigned from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario through his legal representative. The decision comes about two months after McInnis was found guilty, on a balance of probabilities by the discipline tribunal, of sexual abuse. The finding under the law requires a mandatory revocation of McInnis' licence to practice medicine.
The College of Physicians suspended McInnis in November 2019. He abruptly shut down his offices in Angus and Wasaga Beach after allegations of engaging in inappropriate sexual relationships with female patients and a nurse who worked for him and served as a practice monitor after a previous suspension by the College, stemming from an incident in 2013 when McInnis made advances on and kissed a nurse while working in a hospital emergency department.
- Download the CTV News app free to get local news alerts
- Don't miss breaking news - Sign up for the CTV Newsletter
On Wednesday, the discipline panel heard that at the time of that incident, McInnis was before the tribunal for allegations of sexual misconduct relating to his time as a physician at CFB Borden in 2011, for which he was found guilty and suspended for three months.
The tribunal also heard McInnis, who obtained his medical license 20 years ago, had been convicted three times of engaging in disgraceful, dishonourable, or unprofessional conduct within an eight-year timeframe, a history that Emily Graham, counsel for the College of Physicians, called "troubling."
Graham told the panel, "Dr. McInnis' misconduct reflects an egregious breach of fiduciary responsibilities inherent in the doctor/patient relationship and a profound breach of the trust placed in him as a physician."
She described McInnis' behaviour as exploitative and predatory.
"He repeatedly used his position of power in, what I submit as, a shocking fashion to further his own private interests, including his own sexual interests," Graham continued.
"Only a reprimand and revocation will convey to both the public and the profession that a physician who exploits other people for his own sexual and personal gratification cannot remain a member of the profession," she added.
Along with his medical licence revocation, the College also asked McInnis to pay for the cost of his hearings, plus therapy and counselling for his victims, totalling more than $210,000.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ontario to ban use of cellphones in school classrooms starting in September
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Murder charge laid after man falls to death from Toronto apartment balcony
One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.
Dozens in Italy give a fascist salute on the anniversary of Mussolini's execution
Dozens of people raised their arms in the fascist salute and shouted a fascist chant during ceremonies Sunday to honor Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on the 79th anniversary of his execution.
'Do not consume': Gift Chocolate recalled due to undeclared milk, soy
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a specific chocolate brand sold in Ontario and Quebec.
Zendaya tennis movie ‘Challengers’ scores at weekend box office
Zendaya and castmates Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor have been on a globetrotting press tour to get the word out about Italian director Luca Guadagnino's original film, which opened in 3,477 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
Nicole Kidman, who 'makes movies better,' gets AFI Life Achievement Award
Morgan Freeman spoke the words, but pretty much everyone who took the stage at the presentation of the AFI Life Achievement Award agreed: "Nicole Kidman. She makes movies better."