DISCIPLINE SUMMARIES
DR. TIMOTHY GORDON REMILLARD
PRACTICE LOCATION: Thornbury
AREA OF PRACTICE: Family Medicine
HEARING INFORMATION: Plea of No Contest; Agreed
Statement of Facts; Joint Submission on Penalty
On February 27, 2017, the Discipline Commit-
tee found that Dr. Remillard committed an act of
professional misconduct, in that he has engaged in
conduct, an act or omission relevant to the practice
of medicine that, having regard to all the circum-
stances, would reasonably be regarded by members as
disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional.
At all material times, Dr. Remillard practised fam-
ily medicine in a family health clinic in Thornbury,
Ontario. The Group was composed of a number of
physicians, including Dr. Remillard and Dr. X. The
Group shared an electronic medical records system
(EMR). The medical records of all patients of the
Group were maintained in the EMR.
In the period preceding the events at issue in this
hearing, the relationship between Dr. Remillard and
Dr. X had become acrimonious, with each physician
accusing the other of various types of misbehaviour.
In the context of the deteriorating relationship
between the two physicians, in transferring patient
charts from the Group EMR to Dr. X, for patients
who were orphaned or had been patients of Dr.
Remillard or other physicians in the Group but were
now patients of Dr. X, Dr. Remillard deleted his
entries from the patients’ electronic charts, including
family histories, diagnoses, diagnostic results, letters,
forms and documents. The record deletion was not in
accordance with proper document retention practices
and policies.
After the deletions were discovered and brought to his
attention, Dr. Remillard indicates that he restored the
information to the EMR that he had previously deleted.
ORDER
The Discipline Committee ordered: a three-month
suspension on Dr. Remillard’s certificate of registra-
tion; individualized instruction in a medical ethics
course; a reprimand and payment of $5,000 in costs to
the College.
For complete details of the Order, please see the
full decision at www.cpso.on.ca. Select Find a Doctor
and enter the doctor’s name.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Dr. Remillard waived
his right to an appeal and the Committee administered
the public reprimand.
DR. JANICE LOUISE RUGGLES
PRACTICE LOCATION: Pickering
AREA OF PRACTICE: Obstetrics-Gynecology
HEARING INFORMATION: Admission; Agreed Statement of
Facts; Joint Submission on Penalty
On October 5, 2016, the Discipline Committee found
that Dr. Ruggles has committed acts of professional
misconduct, in that she has engaged in an act or omis-
sion relevant to the practice of medicine that, having
regard to all the circumstances, would reasonably be
regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable, or
unprofessional; and she has failed to maintain the stan-
dard of practice of the profession.
Dr. Ruggles, an obstetrician-gynecologist, prac-
tised at a private office in Pickering and held hospital
privileges at the Rouge Valley Health System.
2011 College Investigation
On January 31, 2011, the College received informa-
tion from a pharmacist that Dr. Ruggles had written
prescriptions for large quantities of OxyContin over
the past several years to a non-patient with whom Dr.
Ruggles had a work-related association. The College
launched a section 75(1)(a) investigation under the
Health Professions Procedural Code.
Dr. Ruggles sent a response to the College investi-
gation dated June 14, 2011, acknowledging that she
had provided prescriptions to the individual (“Indi-
vidual 1”), and promised to treat and/or prescribe
only to those with whom she has a doctor/patient
Full decisions are available online at www.cpso.on.ca.
Select Find a Doctor and enter the doctor’s name.
ISSUE 1, 2018 DIALOGUE
67