NB doctor accused in COVID-19 outbreak plans to sue Royal Canadian Mounted Police

NB doctor accused in COVID-19 outbreak plans to sue Royal Canadian Mounted Police

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The doctor who was accused of violating COVID-19 rules last year and was the source of the outbreak in northern New Brunswick plans to sue the province and the RCMP.

Attorneys for Dr. Jean-Robert Ngora announced on Friday that they had served both parties with a 60-day notice and a draft claim statement, accusing them of “institutional anti-black systemic racism”.

The lawsuit also alleges abuse of power, negligence, defamation, malicious prosecution and infringement of the doctor’s franchise.

Joel Etienne, a Toronto-based lawyer, said in an online press conference that Ngora instructed them to start the process in the Queen’s Court “to ensure that such things do not happen again.”

Last Friday, the lawyers gave Prime Minister Brian Higgs Apologize publicly within a week The COVID outbreak in Campbellton in May 2020 resulted in two deaths and dozens of infections, and forced the northern region of New Brunswick to re-enter the “orange” recovery phase.

Instead, “we have witnessed empty words, contradictory comments, political gimmicks and hoaxes,” Etienne claimed.

Christian Mishaw, a lawyer for Etienne and Moncton, said the 51-year-old Ngora has been suffering for more than a year.

Since her mother had to travel to Africa for the funeral, he drove across the border to Montreal overnight to pick up his four-year-old daughter and soon after testing positive for COVID-19, he was labeled “patient zero” by some people.

At a press conference on May 27, 2020, Higgs announced that a medical professional in his 50s had traveled to Quebec for personal reasons. “After returning to New Brunswick, they did not frankly explain their They did not self-isolate because of the travel. As a result.”

Higgs never publicly named Ngora, but he blamed the group of COVID-19 cases in the Campbellton area and the province’s coronavirus return on “Irresponsible individual” He returned to work at Campbellton Regional Hospital and treated patients for two weeks.

Ngora, from Congo, faced threats of racism, was suspended by the Vitalité Health Network, was investigated by the Royal Mounted Police, and accused of violating the province’s emergency measures law. He was allegedly not quarantined when he returned from Quebec.

Joel Etienne, a lawyer representing Dr. Jean-Robert Ngola, announced the lawsuit at a press conference on Friday afternoon. (YouTube)

After the Crown Prosecutor withdrew the charges last Friday, saying that there was no longer a reasonable prospect of conviction, the defense stated that Higgs could no longer hide behind “pending provincial court affairs” and called on the prime minister for the third time to “clearly apologize.” .

Higgs told reporters that he felt he had nothing to apologize. “Unfortunately, he personally accepted,” he said. “I didn’t direct it. I didn’t give him a name.”

Although Higgs did not mention Ngora’s name, Ngora’s attorney argued in the 27-page draft statement that “he knew or should have known Dr. Ngora’s identity and apparent health conditions have passed. Social media leaked to the public before the press conference.”

“Prime Minister Higgs knows or should know that the public can and can be sure that Dr. Ngora connects the information disseminated at the press conference with the information disseminated on social media.”

Dr. Ngola’s experience is the first and only modern experience that Canadians have had to relocate due to social evictions triggered by the Prime Minister, his government, the police force, and social media.-Draft claim statement

Higgs is not listed as a defendant. The lawsuit states “Her Majesty’s rights in New Brunswick and Canada (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)”.

The lawsuit seeks some form of restorative justice, continues to seek public apologies from Higgs and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and seeks independent investigations into the case to help prevent similar situations from happening in the future.

“Dr. Ngora is the first and only modern experience that a Canadian has had to relocate due to social evictions triggered by the Prime Minister, his government, the police force and social media,” the draft claim statement stated. He left the practice for eight years and moved to Louisville, Quebec.

The lawsuit also seeks compensation and punitive damages, but the amount in the draft claim statement is blank.

“Frankly speaking, this issue is second to what is really important: the restorative justice measures we are seeking to ensure that such things do not happen again,” Etienne said.

Blaine Higgs, the governor of New Brunswick, insists that he thinks he has nothing to apologize. (Ed Hunt/Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

Ngola’s lawyers have repeatedly called on Higgs to apologize to their clients.

Last June, after a private investigator they hired concluded, they sought an apology for the first time “It can’t be the first patient” And his trip to Quebec was not the source of the outbreak.

In July, when they were told that Ngola Will not face criminal charges, They again called for an apology.

Earlier this week, Higgs publicly challenged Ngora to give up his privacy rights so that he could reveal what he knew about the doctor.

On Friday, he told reporters that his position has not changed.

He said: “I want all information to be open to the public and let the public decide.”

“If there is a lawsuit and it continues, then this will be a way for all information to be presented in all aspects, so it will be good.”

He said that he did not regret his comments.

“No, it is necessary for everyone to think about it,’Well, what can I do differently?’ Because we have a lot of people walking around, especially professionals in the healthcare field who travel across borders,” Xi Gus said.

“We know the risks they take, we know the risks that patients face,’Well, what can we do to mitigate this risk?'”

In Friday’s letter of action to both parties, Ngola’s lawyers stated that they “welcome any out-of-court discussions to determine whether the matter can be resolved amicably.”

For more stories about the experience of black Canadians—from anti-black racism to success stories in the black community—check out Black Canadians, a CBC project that Canadian blacks can be proud of. You can read more stories here.

(Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)



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