A person enters the Hawkesbury General Hospital in Hawkesbury, Ont., on March 26, 2021.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
An 89-year-old man has been identified as the victim in a murder case involving a physician at an Eastern Ontario hospital where several other recent deaths are now being probed by police.
It was the “suspicious death” of Albert Poidinger, from Pointe-Claire, Que., that prompted a call to the Ontario Provincial Police on Thursday.
It’s unclear who placed the call, but after officers arrived at the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital (HGH), Dr. Brian Nadler was arrested. The 35-year-old was formally charged the next day, and has been held in custody since.
Bill Dickson, spokesperson for the OPP, declined to offer any details Monday about the nature of Mr. Poidinger’s death, or the subsequent investigation.
“Based on the initial investigation, and based on evidence and other details that were collected, there were grounds there to lay a charge of first-degree murder,” he said.
He said officers are now awaiting postmortem examination results in “several recent deaths at the hospital that are at this point considered to be suspicious.”
Mr. Dickson declined to specify how many such cases are being looked at, but said the families of those deceased people have been notified.
With 100 beds, HGH is a full-service regional hospital that draws patients from Eastern Ontario, towns in Quebec and as far away as Montreal. In a statement on Monday, spokesperson Édith Jean-Louis said that the hospital is collaborating with the police investigation.
“We have met with the bereaved families affected by this tragic situation to offer our condolences and support,” Ms. Jean-Louis said. “We understand that our patients, their families and the community at large are anxious and distressed.”
The hospital is grappling with two COVID-19 outbreaks in inpatient units, one declared on March 17 in its east wing and the other on March 24 in the complex continuing care unit. In a news release issued on Thursday, before police were called, the hospital revealed there had been five deaths related to COVID-19.
Hawkesbury Mayor Paula Assaly said news of the murder charge and investigation into suspicious deaths has left local residents reeling. It is an especially challenging time for hospital staff, given the recent COVID-19 outbreaks as well as years of construction because of a major redevelopment project.
“I have some concern as to how much stress the staff will be able to endure,” she said.
Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, medical officer of health for the local Eastern Ontario Health Unit, said the situation at the hospital is tragic and has devastated staff. “The hospital is in shock,” he said.
As of Monday, a total of 27 patients and five workers have tested positive for COVID-19 as part of the hospital’s outbreak, Dr. Roumeliotis said. The region entered the red-control zone on Monday.
Dr. Nadler, who lives in Dollard-Des-Ormeaux, Que., will appear in court on April 6. His lawyer Alan Brass said Monday that his client “maintains his innocence. We will be defending him vigorously.”
According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Dr. Nadler – who specializes in internal medicine – graduated from medical school at McGill University in 2010 and has been a member since February, 2020. Though his certificate was initially granted with restrictions, those restrictions were removed earlier this year.
Dr. Nadler previously practised in Saskatchewan, where he was found guilty of two counts of unprofessional conduct in 2018; one in relation to a note-taking error, and another in relation to comments made about a female colleague.
Both matters were resolved when he agreed to take courses in professional ethics and medical record-keeping, and provide a letter of apology to the council, according to the college.
Mr. Dickson acknowledged that the case has affected the entire community.
“Not only is this a traumatic experience for someone who may have recently lost a family member, but it’s definitely impactful for the whole community. And we definitely understand that.”
He stressed that “this is an incident involving, at this point in time, one individual who has been arrested and charged. The day-to-day care at that hospital is not what’s in question here.”
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