More than 80 complaints have now been received against two former RCMP doctors under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct spanning decades, police in Ontario and Nova Scotia say.
Toronto police have logged more than 20 complaints against a retired doctor in the Mounties鈥� Ontario division, while Halifax police have received 鈥渋n excess of 60 complaints鈥� against a former Nova Scotia doctor.
鈥淭hese reports are still being investigated and no final decisions have been made on potential outcomes as yet,鈥� Meaghan Gray of the Toronto Police Service said by email Monday. She added that it鈥檚 鈥渟till too early in the process鈥� to say whether charges will be laid.
It is the first time Toronto police have revealed the number of complaints they have received, while Halifax police said Friday they had received about 50 complaints to that point.
The Toronto doctor was allegedly particularly focused on women鈥檚 nipples during medical examinations, while the Halifax doctor, nicknamed Dr. Fingers, has been accused of inappropriate and unnecessary vaginal and rectal examinations.
The force鈥檚 commanding officer in Nova Scotia, Assistant Commissioner Brian Brennan, said last week that 鈥漚 multiple of dozens鈥� of women have brought forward allegations of incidents between October 1981 and July 2003 at the RCMP health services office in the Halifax suburb of Bedford.
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In a note to officers, he said he expects 鈥渕any more鈥� women to come forward in the months ahead.
鈥淚 am at a loss for words as I write this message to you. To say I鈥檓 shocked and disheartened doesn鈥檛 seem like enough,鈥� Brennan wrote in the internal memo.
Assistant Commissioner Stephen White, the force鈥檚 acting chief human resources officer, said in an email to members that the allegations involved a doctor who conducted recruitment medical examinations and periodic health assessments on members.
The retired doctor declined to respond publicly on the allegations when reached last week.
The claims against the physicians mirror widespread complaints about sexual harassment in the national police force that led the federal court to approve a landmark settlement last spring.
Megan McPhee, a principal with a Toronto-based law firm serving as counsel in the class-action lawsuit, said last week that the physicians allegedly abused their power over vulnerable young recruits who were 鈥渄eeply afraid鈥� that speaking out would damage their careers in the RCMP.
鈥淭he issues we鈥檙e hearing with respect to the Halifax doctor are arising very early in the employment, when there is a potential power imbalance between a doctor and a woman who is trying to fulfil her dream of becoming an RCMP officer,鈥� she said.
鈥淲omen simply don鈥檛 feel comfortable coming forward because they鈥檙e so deeply afraid of the impact that speaking out could have on their careers.鈥�
The deadline for the uncapped class action settlement is Feb. 8.
Brett Bundale, The Canadian Press
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