The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) has dropped charges against an Edmonton-area doctor who gave out COVID-19 vaccine exemptions to patients.
Dr. Princ was accused of failing to follow vaccine exemption requirements set out by the CPSA, Alberta Health Services (AHS), and the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health in April 2023, the release said.
The JCCF funded Dr. Princ’s legal case.
“Court of King’s Bench Justice Barbara Romaine found this to be contrary to the Public Health Act and ruled that health orders must come from the Chief Medical Officer of Health in order to be valid,” JCCF said.
One of Dr. Princ’s attorneys, Andre Memauri, said they were pleased with the news.
Change to Public Health Act
Since the Ingram decision, Alberta’s legislative assembly has made changes to the Public Health Act that require public health orders to be issued by the cabinet, not by the Chief Medical Officer of Health.JCCF said that while the CPSA, AHS, and Chief Medical Officer of Health released requirements that are called “guidance,” they were “strict and inflexible.”
The JCCF said there were virtually no grounds for exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine based on requirements issued by CPSA, AHS, and the provincial medical officer.
“The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta violated the ethical principle of informed and voluntary consent for medical treatment, by threatening medical doctors with the loss of their license if they exercised their independent clinical judgment about the safety and efficacy of new vaccines for which no long-term safety data existed,” JCCF President John Carpay said in the release.
“In the ‘Rapid Brief’ document of Alberta Health Services, informed consent is only mentioned once, when recommending vaccination to women ‘who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant,’ or to people with a history of allergies,” said Glenn Blackett, another attorney for Dr. Princ.
Legal Battles With Regulatory Colleges
It’s not the first challenge that Canadian medical professionals have faced by regulatory bodies with regard to COVID-19 vaccines.Ms. McInnes was facing discipline for social media posts about vaccine mandates, vaccine passports, and related issues like freedom of choice and medical privacy.
She was accused of violating the association’s code of conduct with her online comments.
The CRNS accused the nurse of the “misuse” of her influence as a health care provider.
The CRNS asked Ms. Wilson to sign an agreement that would admit professional misconduct. They ended up dropping the case.
Three doctors in Ontario were suspended during their battle with the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons over public comments each made that were critical of the COVID-19 restrictions and vaccines.
