
Derek Finkle: Pro-drug injection site activists were dangerously wrong on closures
'A lot more people are going to die.'
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This was the dire prediction oft-repeated back in March by a busload of lawyers who supported a legal challenge filed by an injection site in Toronto that claimed recent Ontario legislation forcing the closure of sites within 200 metres of schools and daycare facilities violates the Charter rights of drug users.
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The two expert witnesses for that site, in the Kensington neighbourhood of Toronto, are employed by the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, a hospital-run research centre. MAP had played a key role in the establishment of the city's first injection sites in 2017. Dr. Ahmed Bayoumi and Dr. Dan Werb both submitted evidence that overdose deaths in Toronto would increase sharply if half of the city's ten injection sites closed at the end of March because of the legislation.
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Fred Fischer, a lawyer representing Toronto's Board of Health, one of the intervenor groups in the case, also told Justice John Callaghan of the Ontario Superior Court that reducing harm reduction services in Toronto during the ongoing opioid crisis would have severe consequences — more people will overdose and die.
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A lawyer for another intervenor, a harm reduction coalition, put an even finer point on it. He said that one of the Toronto injection sites not affected by the legislation was anticipating such an immediate and overwhelming increase in overdose deaths in April, after the closures, that the site was in the process of hiring grief counsellors for its staff.
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More than two months have passed since then, and now that we're in June, you might be wondering: How many more people ended up dying because of the closure of these sites?
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According to data that's compiled by Toronto Paramedic Services and Toronto Public Health, the answer, so far, is none. In fact, the number of overdoses in Toronto for the month of April, the first month after the sites had closed, dropped notably.
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Toronto had 13 fatal overdose calls in April, one less than in March, when the now-closed injection sites were still open. Thirteen is less than half the number of fatal overdoses across the city in April of last year, and significantly below the monthly average for all of 2024 (19).
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Thirteen fatal overdoses are far lower than the average monthly number during the period of Covid-19 emergency between April 2020 and May 2023 (25). The last time 13 was the norm for monthly fatal overdoses was prior to the pandemic.
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The number of calls for non-fatal overdoses in April was 161. This may sound like a lot but it's the lowest monthly total so far this year in Toronto. And 161 non-fatal overdoses are 55 per cent less than the 359 that occurred in April of 2024.
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Remarkably, in the third week of April, there were zero fatal overdose calls, something that hasn't happened in Toronto in months.
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CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
‘She has suffered significantly': Manitoba plastic surgeon suspended after multiple complaints
A Manitoba plastic surgeon has been suspended after multiple complaints from patients, ranging from post-operative complications to inserting different sized breast implants than what the patient consented to. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba (CPSM) held a hearing in March 2025 to probe charges of professional misconduct against Dr. Manfred Ziesmann, a licenced plastic surgeon who was initially board certified in 1987. Dr. Ziesmann pleaded guilty to the charges. According to the disciplinary hearing report, the charges stem from three patients who Dr. Ziesmann performed multiple surgeries and procedures on over the course of a decade. The first patient had five procedures performed by Dr. Ziesmann between 2012 and 2022, including an abdominal scar revision surgery which had post-operative complications due to issues with wound healing and a 'retained surgical drain.' A second patient had two surgeries performed by Dr. Ziesmann – a 2021 procedure to address breast and areola asymmetry and a bi-lateral breast surgery in 2022, in which different sized breast implants were inserted contrary to the patient's consent form, the report said. According to the complaint, the patient experienced significant post-surgery issues which required follow-up visits to Dr. Ziesmann, urgent care clinics and the emergency room. Dr. Manfred Ziesmann Doctor Manfred Ziesmann performs a procedure in an undated image. (Dr. Ziesmann Cosmetic Clinic/ Instagram) The on-call plastic surgeon at the hospital reported the patient's wound had split open, a thick, black scar had formed and there was noted necrosis – which occurs when body tissue dies from too little blood flow. 'She states she has had a hard time seeing Dr. Ziesmann back following surgery, and feels that her concerns have been disregarded,' the hospital's on-call plastic surgeon wrote in their notes. The patient subsequently required another procedure performed by a different surgeon to remove the breast implants, the report explained. The third patient saw Dr. Ziesmann in April 2023 for an excision of a lesion after she was previously diagnosed by her dermatologist with basal cell carcinoma through a shave biopsy. A pathology report after Dr. Ziesmann's excision noted the lesion did not seem to be taken from the corresponding biopsy site. The patient had a second excision procedure performed by Dr. Ziesmann in August 2023, the report said, but the dermatologist noted basal cell carcinoma was still present afterwards. The dermatologist subsequently referred the patient for a third procedure with a different surgeon. Surgeon displayed lack of knowledge, skill: panel An inquiry panel tasked with reviewing the complaints concluded Dr. Ziesmann displayed a lack of knowledge, skill and judgement in practicing medicine and breached a number of standards of practice, including failing to fully document informed consent discussions, failing to thoroughly document management plans, and failing to keep detailed and accurate patient records. 'The panel was particularly struck by how the actions of Dr. Ziesmann have had such a negative impact on the health and well-being of patient 2,' the panel's recommendation read, referencing a submitted written impact statement. 'She has suffered significantly over the last few years and there is little doubt that she will continue to be impacted for years to come.' The report also noted Dr. Ziesmann had six prior complaints or matters levelled against him. The panel recommended Dr. Ziesmann be suspended for six weeks starting March 24, 2025, and be subsequently monitored and limited to lengthy terms and conditions. He was also ordered to pay over $34,000 to cover CPSM's costs. The full report can be read on the college's website.


CBC
4 hours ago
- CBC
Preventable deaths, violent attacks: doctor alleges deteriorating conditions at Fraser Health hospitals
Social Sharing An emergency room physician is blowing the whistle on deteriorating conditions in hospitals managed by B.C.'s Fraser Health Authority — claiming in a lawsuit that her job was threatened after she and other doctors sought to warn patients about a potentially dangerous situation. Kaitlin Stockton has worked in the emergency rooms at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster and Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody since October 2017, where she claims rapid decline in the past two years has led to "increasingly unsafe and substandard patient care." She sat down with CBC News to lay out the concerns detailed in the lawsuit — which include the health authority's alleged rejection of a plea to implement a mass casualty protocol in the aftermath of the alleged attack at the Lapu-Lapu Day festival in Vancouver. "Patients are falling through the cracks and will continue to fall through the cracks unless something changes," she says. "Knowing you're not providing standard of care to someone who needs it is a horrible feeling, it is not how I was trained, and it's not what patients deserve." One fateful shift Stockton filed a notice of civil claim against Fraser Health Authority in B.C. Supreme Court last week, seeking $500,000 for wrongful dismissal and damages for what she claims is "high-handed, arrogant and contemptuous" behaviour. The lawsuit paints a picture of a toxic work environment, where burnt-out medical professionals endure violent assaults from patients and fear reprisal for speaking publicly. Stockton says her concern about the system collapsing now outweighs her fear of speaking out. CBC News has viewed a letter signed by 50 B.C. emergency room physicians stating they support Stockton's "dedication to advocating for high-quality patient care." They also call for improvements to the emergency care system, for transparency and accountability from Fraser Health and say they require a workplace that is "free from psychological harm." While the letter says the doctors are not commenting on the specific allegations in Stockton's lawsuit, it says they support her right to pursue legal action against Fraser Health. CBC News reached out to Fraser Health for comment, but did not receive a response by publication time. According to Stockton's lawsuit, her experience culminated in one shift, on Nov. 18, 2024, when she and other medical staff chose to warn patients that the emergency room at Eagle Ridge hospital was reaching a breaking point. Stockton says as her shift progressed, conditions became "wildly unsafe" as patients spilled into hallways and packed the waiting room. Physicians on shift reached out to a series of senior leaders, asking for a number of measures including offloading patients to different areas of the hospital, cancelling elective surgeries and diverting ambulances. But those requests were allegedly denied. With conditions in the ER spiralling, the lawsuit claims doctors hatched a plan. With the approval of a local department head, Stockton and her colleagues decided to post a sign warning patients the hospital was short on resources and patients needing care would face lengthy delays, the lawsuit says. The sign called the wait times "unacceptable" and urged patients to contact the provincial government. "The sign was shared on social media by patients, and two news outlets ran a story about the sign," the lawsuit claims. "Instead of taking the time to reflect and take accountability for their inaction, which ultimately contributed to severe patient harm and moral injury among the staff working that day, [the health authority] issued a press statement calling the sign 'false.'" Executives 'extremely angry' The lawsuit alleges that after Fraser Health obtained CCTV footage of Stockton placing the sign, they used it to "single out, bully, and threaten" her. She claims she was told Fraser Health executives were "extremely angry" about the sign and "they were indeed seeking to hold Dr. Stockton accountable for it." Stockton claims Eagle Ridge Hospital's medical director threatened to revoke her hospital privileges and file a complaint against her if she did not write an apology admitting to wrongdoing. The lawsuit alleges Stockton was fired through "constructive dismissal" — when the actions of a employer force an employee to resign. Stockton claims no questions were asked about the conditions in the emergency room that led physicians to take action. Instead, she was told she had "no right" to put up the sign. "This is extremely common, this happens all the time. It happens to nurses and physicians, and this is why the public doesn't have the truth about what is happening in our publicly funded hospitals, in our emergency rooms," she says. "Even when we collectively begged and pleaded for help, none was given. We felt helpless watching patients in the waiting room suffer, even though we were asking for help." 'One of those dreams where you're screaming for help' The lawsuit also claims Fraser Health has failed to respond to physicians' calls for help and sought to silence staff who spoke up about conditions. For example, it says the health authority sent cease and desist letters to physicians in 2023 after they asked for more transparency around congestion in emergency rooms and, on another occasion, suspended and investigated a nurse who advocated for better security protocols after being attacked by a patient wielding a machete. The most high-profile example is alleged to have happened on April 26, following the alleged Lapu-Lapu Day festival attack in Vancouver, which left 11 people dead and dozens more injured. Royal Columbian Hospital — one of two dedicated specialized trauma centres in B.C. — was allegedly notified "they would be receiving up to 10 critically injured patients." "Knowing this would overwhelm the hospital's already stretched resources, the physicians working at the time repeatedly requested that the hospital administrator activate a Code Orange," the lawsuit says. A code orange is a protocol that allows emergency rooms to urgently respond to disaster and mass casualty events by evacuating patients to other areas of the hospital, and bringing in additional personnel to assist with triaging. The lawsuit claims Fraser Health denied the request for a code orange. Stockton told CBC News she fears a lower standard of care will become normalized if change isn't implemented. "It feels like one of those dreams where you're screaming for help but no sound is coming out. And it just drains the life out of you after a while," she says. "At first you get really angry, but after a while of seeing the same thing over and over again, you just become hopeless." 'Extremely unsafe for patients' The lawsuit says working conditions in the two hospitals are "unpleasant, undignified, and extremely unsafe" for patients — sometimes resulting in loss of life. "Multiple Patient Safety and Learning System entries have been initiated because of severe, preventable harm, including deaths related to overcrowding," the notice of civil claim says. "The hospitals are now routinely operating with four to six unfilled emergency physician shifts per day," it reads. It alleges wait times have sky-rocketed, "now routinely reaching 10-14 hours." The lawsuit also claims a series of violent incidents have occurred at the hospitals. In January 2025, a machete-wielding man entered the emergency room at Eagle Ridge Hospital and threatened a nurse. In separate attacks, the lawsuit claims patients have strangled, kicked and attacked nurses who have suffered a dislocated a jaw, concussion and broken ribs. A large pit bull was also allegedly allowed into Eagle Ridge Hospital's emergency room for hours in April, attacking a doctor and biting his arm. "These events are so common that they are normalized and are rarely if ever acknowledged by FHA management and leadership," the suit alleges. A June 2025 report by the Montreal Economic Institute found Eagle Ridge Hospital has some of the longest emergency room wait times among Metro Vancouver hospitals. According to a report published in the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine, long wait times in emergency rooms in Canada contribute to thousands of deaths per year. "Patients are dying while waiting for care. In my experience, and the experience of my colleagues, this is happening in B.C.," says Stockton, who adds the herculean efforts of frontline staff are holding emergency rooms together.

National Post
4 hours ago
- National Post
Dove Men+Care Encourages Canadian Dads to Celebrate 'My Most Important Role' on LinkedIn
Article content Fathers and father figures are invited to make 'Dad' a job title, challenging traditional ideals around masculinity and success Article content TORONTO — To mark Father's Day, Dove Men+Care invites Canadian Dads and father figures to update their LinkedIn profiles with one of their most meaningful life roles: 'Dad.' Rolling out across Canada, the campaign encourages fathers to recognize and celebrate fatherhood as a full-time role and claim space for it on a platform traditionally reserved for professional milestones. Article content As part of the campaign, Canadian Dads are encouraged to use LinkedIn's 'Add position' feature to reflect their role as a father and join a growing movement of men reshaping the traditional definition of masculinity, identity, and care. Making fatherhood LinkedIn-official, Dove Men+Care sparks a broader conversation that urges men to treat personal milestones with the same importance and visibility as professional ones. Article content 'Too often, men proudly share promotions, but rarely the presence and care they bring at home,' said Divya Singh, General Manager, Personal Care, Unilever Canada. 'With this campaign, we are redefining success to include care and celebrate the powerful role fathers and father figures play beyond the workplace.' Article content To kickstart the movement, Dove Men+Care partnered with Founder/CEO Ross Simmonds, Sports Commentator Donnovan Bennett, Celebrity Chef and TV host Dave Rocco, Innovation Strategist Shawn Kanungo. Each thought leader, known in Canada for their professional achievements, are sharing their personal fatherhood stories alongside custom visuals designed by Toronto-based illustrator Mateusz Napieralski. Canadians are encouraged to download and re-share these custom illustrations along with their own fatherhood update and journey. Article content 'When men see fatherhood as a vital part of who they are, it positively shapes their mental health and emotional well-being,' said Dr. Andrew Howlett, a Toronto-based Child and Family Psychiatrist, and co-founder of the Fathers' Mental Health Network. 'By valuing and supporting active fatherhood, we help dads feel recognized and empowered – building resilient families and healthier communities.' Article content As a long-time partner of Dove Men+Care, Dad Central, a national organization that provides research, programming, resources, and a community to support father involvement, is helping amplify the campaign through its extensive community network. The group is also contributing expert insight on the cultural importance of active fatherhood and its long-term impact on society. Article content The campaign runs nationally in the lead-up to Father's Day, encouraging Dads across Canada to take part on LinkedIn. To learn more about Dove Men+Care, visit To find out more about Dad Central visit: About Dove Men+Care Dove Men+Care is the first range of products from Dove developed specially for men. Manufactured by Unilever, the line includes the #1 dermatologist recommended male bar and body wash brand. Launched in 2010, the Dove Men+Care portfolio includes bars, body washes, anti-perspirant/deodorants, and hair care. Dove Men+Care is available nationwide in food, drug, and mass outlet stores. Article content About Unilever Article content Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Foods and Ice Cream products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.4 billion people every day. We have 128,000 employees and generated sales of €60.8 billion in 2024. Article content Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Foods and Ice Cream products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.4 billion people every day. We have 128,000 employees and generated sales of €60.8 billion in 2024. Article content Our leading brands in North America include Dove, Hellmann's, Vaseline, Degree, Axe, TRESemmé, Knorr, Magnum, Ben & Jerry's, Nutrafol, Liquid I.V., Paula's Choice, and Dermalogica. Article content For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands visit: For more information on Unilever Canada and its brands visit: About Unilever in Canada Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Foods and Ice Cream products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.4 billion people every day. We have 128,000 employees and generated sales of €60.8 billion in 2024. Article content Our leading brands in Canada include Dove, Vaseline, Degree, Axe, SheaMoisture, TRESemmé, Knorr, Hellmann's, Breyers, Magnum, Ben & Jerry's, Liquid I.V., and OLLY. Article content Dad Central is a national non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting responsible father involvement in Canada. Through evidence-based research, resources, and community programming, Dad Central helps fathers, families, and organizations recognize and strengthen the important role dads play in child development and family well-being. With over two decades of experience, Dad Central works to ensure every child has the opportunity to benefit from an involved and caring father. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content