It appears the end has come for Ottawa’s illegal marijuana dispensaries.

Ottawa police used powers under the new provincial cannabis law on Tuesday to close two of the five shops that remained open in the city after the federal government legalized pot.

On Wednesday, two of the remaining three shops — The Hemp Company locations on Merivale Road and Clarence Street in the ByWard Market — were closed for business. At the third store, Green Life in Westboro, the marijuana has been removed and staff say it’s now a cannabis information club.

Police changed the locks at Capital Buds on Churchill Avenue and the Ottawa Compassion Clinic on Rideau Street after raiding them on Tuesday and charging six people with offences under the Ontario Cannabis Control Act.

The Hemp Company store reopened after the online Ontario Cannabis Store ran into problems trying to fill customers’ orders.

Someone broke the front door window near the doorknob at Capital Buds sometime after the police raid. On Wednesday afternoon there was shattered glass on the stoop and the door was unlocked. Police had removed the marijuana during the raid.

The landlord was notified about the break-in, said Ottawa police Const. Amy Gagnon.

The provincial law that came into effect on Oct. 17 allows police to issue an interim closure at stores where they suspect cannabis is being sold outside the legal retail framework.

In the past two years, police have conducted multiple raids on illegal dispensaries and charged people inside with drug trafficking, but often the operators simply restocked and opened up again.

Most of Ottawa’s two dozen dispensaries closed before recreational marijuana became legal. Ottawa police warned they would close any shops that remained open.

Gagnon said no information was available yet on charges laid during Tuesday’s raids.

The provincial penalties for people selling marijuana outside the legal framework or landlords who rent to them include fines of up to $250,000 or two years in jail for a first offence and up to $100,000 a day or two years in jail if the offence continues.

For corporations the fines are between $25,000 and $1 million for a first offence and $10,000 to $500,000 for each day the offence continues.

Ontario Attorney General Caroline Mulroney has warned that anyone involved with illegal dispensaries after Oct. 17 will not be eligible to apply for a licence to run a legal store.

The province plans to issue licences to private businesses to operate cannabis stores. They are supposed to open in April. In the meantime, the only legal outlet is the government’s online cannabis store.

Staff at the two raided dispensaries said in previous interviews that they served people who don’t want to shop at the Ontario Cannabis Store.

“None of our customers would like to purchase their cannabis online, due to the required credit cards for method of payment as well as having to wait several business days for shipping,” officials at Capital Buds explained in an email.

The Ontario Cannabis Store has been plagued with delivery delays, partly due to rotating strikes by postal workers. There was also a data breach at Canada Post that disclosed personal information about 4,500 customers, it was revealed Wednesday.

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The controversy surrounding the embattled students federation at the University of Ottawa will be settled with a referendum to let students decide which group should represent them.

The university says it plans to hire an impartial agency to hold a referendum early in 2019 to allow  groups to compete for the right to represent undergraduate students.

The decision was announced after the student federation released a report on allegations of financial mismanagement.

A forensic investigation by Pricewaterhouse Coopers didn’t find fraud at the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa, but it included evidence that contracts were awarded to relatives of the president and the executive director.

Federation officials say they have made mistakes but are fixing them with an “accountability agenda” that includes changes in governance, better financial controls and a conflict-of-interest policy. They had hoped to convince the university to give them another chance to continue operating their array of services on campus.

The university administration, however, is standing by its decision to terminate the contract with the federation as of Dec. 24. It lost confidence in the federation after “learning of allegations of financial mismanagement, internal conflict and workplace misconduct,” said a statement by vice-president academic David Graham.

The Pricewaterhouse Coopers report “has not restored the University’s confidence in the SFUO’s ability to practice sound financial management,” Graham said. “The University believes that undergraduate students deserve legitimate and trustworthy student government that respects the principles of sound financial management and demonstrates respect for transparent and accountable governance. The University remains firmly committed to working in good faith with a student government that demonstrates a commitment to these principles.”

Paige Booth, acting president at the federation, called the referendum a “heavy-handed” move.

The federation says it plans to put its name on the referendum ballot. Will it be allowed to participate? The university did not respond to that query.

Another group of students has organized to form a new student union.

Elections will take place in March and the university says it will negotiate an agreement with the group that wins.

Rachiq says he resigned the presidency this month because he realized the university would not reach an agreement with the federation as long has he was its leader.

 “No one person should come before the needs of 36,000 students and, truthfully, knowing that many view myself as a problem to the organization I must step down in order to attempt to save it,” he said in an email to students. “Students deserve much more than what we currently offer but cannot afford to lose what we have now.”

Rachiq said he agreed with the university’s decision last summer to freeze funding to the federation and told university officials he would “collaborate with the investigation and remove myself from any conflict of interest.”

—-

Financial report: No fraud but contracts given to relatives

The Pricewaterhouse Coopers report investigated two allegations.

The first concerned $20,414 in contracts paid to T.R. Alimentation, a catering firm run by Rizki Rachiq’s family in Montreal. The previous president of the federation, Hadi Wess, had alleged that T.R. Alimentation was an “allegedly fraudulent business” and the money was deposited into a university club bank account.

The report found there was no evidence the services were not provided by T.R. Alimentation for five catered events, nor were problems reported with the service.

As for the bank account, it was originally set up for a club co-founded by Rachiq called Testing Restaurants UOttawa. The purpose of the club was to test out various restaurants and report back to students.

The club received $1,500 from the student federation and disbanded after the 2015-16 school year.

Rachiq asked the bank to change the name of the club bank account so it could be used by his family members for their catering business. In an interview, he said he wanted to avoid the paperwork of opening another bank account.

Rachiq said he didn’t think it was wrong that his family received catering contracts because executive director Vanessa Dorimain’s mother had done catering for the federation.

“Why can’t I bring this opportunity to my family, too?”

The other allegation the report investigated was that the federation gave $3,030 to Dorimain’s mother’s business for a catering job but services were not provided.

The report found that while Dorimain requested a cheque be cut for her mother’s firm to cater a student event in the spring of 2018, the contract was never fulfilled. The president at the time refused to authorize the expense, saying he understood no breakfast was to be served.

Dorimain cancelled the contract with her mother and bought fruit and juice at Loblaws instead.

The report noted that some executives and staffers knew that contracts were given to relatives of Rachiq and Dorimain.

In an interview, Dorimain said her mother’s firm was hired to cater four or five events over the past several years. It was no secret, she said. Federation executives who signed the cheques and other members of the board of administration never raised any objections, she said.  “I didn’t see an issue with it, so I told everyone.”

Dorimain said she wasn’t gaining financially so didn’t see a problem. “This is not money in my pocket … ”

The federation has no policies on how services are procured. Policies are now being created as recommended by the Pricewaterhouse Coopers report, she said.

Executives and staff are also now included in a conflict-of-interest policy, said Booth.

Where does the money go?

Students pay about $1,500 a school year in incidental fees, according to a letter Rachiq sent to students. That includes $850 to the students federation, which operates more than a dozen services, from a night foot patrol to a food bank and centres on various issues, from bilingualism to pride, and oversees 350 clubs as well as running a bookstore, convenience store and bar. The fee also includes $235 for a universal health plan administered by Green Shield Canada and $415 for a bus pass for OC Transpo and STO, both of which were negotiated by the federation.

jmiller@postmedia.com

If the City of Ottawa decides to allow cannabis stores within its boundaries, there will be no shortage of applicants, from large corporations to mom-and-pop entrepreneurs.

The rules are now clearer after the province released regulations Thursday with details on who can apply for a licence and where shops can be located when they open next April.

Cannabis stores can’t be within 150 metres of a public or private school, for instance. And they must be stand-alone enterprises, so don’t expect to pick up pot at the convenience or grocery store.

But first, the city has to decide whether to allow cannabis stores — municipalities have until Jan. 22  to decide whether to opt out.

In the meantime, businesses are scouting locations, betting that Ottawa will allow the stores and trying to lock up prime space.

Ottawa lawyer Mark Asfar said his firm, Momentum Law, is advising about 35 clients on the process for opening a store.

“There are a lot of people interested,” he said, from small entrepreneurs to large companies.

The province had said it won’t limit the number of licences awarded. Provincial officials had provided early estimates that 500 to 1,000 stores might open in Ontario.

Asfar advises clients to proceed cautiously and not be caught up in the excitement of the green rush. Clients are preparing business plans and negotiating  leases.

Since there is still a lot of uncertainty, some landlords are negotiating “offers to lease” that allow the business to back out for a fee if the location isn’t approved, but stipulate the shop will pay premium rent if the licence is awarded, he said.

Half a dozen companies that run cannabis stores in Western Canada plan to expand aggressively into Ontario. They include Ottawa’s National Access Cannabis, which operates eight stores under the NewLeaf and Meta Cannabis Supply Co. brands in Alberta and Manitoba and has applications pending for more.

National Access has ambitions to be one of Canada’s largest cannabis retailers.

The company has researched locations across the province, including Ottawa, but hasn’t signed leases yet, said spokesperson Matt Ryan. National Access also has a deal with Second Cup to convert some coffee shops into marijuana stores.

The province has set a limit of 75 stores for any one operator to prevent market concentration. “We are definitely going for 75,” said Ryan. He predicted there may end up being a saturation of cannabis stores in downtown Ottawa and Toronto.

Municipalities had asked for more control over shop locations, but that doesn’t appear to be the direction the province is headed.

Municipalities are not allowed to use zoning to target marijuana stores with restrictions not applied to other retail shops.

Meta Cannabis Supply Company shops that opened in Winnipeg operated by Ottawa-based National Access Cannabis, which hopes to open stores across Ontario including in Ottawa. National Access Cannabis operates eight stores under the NewLeaf and Meta Cannabis Supply Co. brands in Alberta and Manitoba and has applications pending for more. National Access Cannabis photo

Residents and municipalities will have 15 days to give written comments on proposed locations to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, which is in charge of issuing the licences.

But the AGCO has made it clear that residents can’t simply say they don’t like the idea of a cannabis shop in their neighbourhood.

The grounds for refusing a licence are limited to “public health and safety, protecting youth and restricting their access to cannabis, and preventing illegal activities in relation to cannabis,” said the AGCO.

How that is interpreted remains to be seen. Residents might argue, for instance, that a shop located near a playground might be a safety risk by exposing youth to cannabis.

Ottawa Coun. Riley Brockington says the 150-metre buffer between shops and schools is “completely inadequate.”

He also suggests there should be a buffer between shops and residential communities, especially since the stores will be allowed to remain open until 11 p.m.

“There are a lot of unknowns. How busy will it be at night, how loud will traffic be and people who hang out or loiter around the shop be? That could open up another can of worms …”

He’s supportive of allowing the market to decide store hours but is afraid that shops near residential areas open late at night could create problems, especially if people loiter or smoke their pot on the sidewalk or other public places nearby.

Other councillors have said they want to make sure cannabis stores don’t cluster in certain neighbourhoods, the way illegal marijuana dispensaries have. However, the regulations released Thursday do not require that stores maintain a distance from each other.

It’s unclear whether legal stores would cluster together.

Dave Crapper, a vice-president for Alcanna, which hopes to open cannabis stores in Ontario, jokes that he hopes his competitors all locate in one neighbourhood and leave the rest of the city to his company.

Alcanna operates 230 liquor stores in Alberta, B.C. and Alaska. The cannabis shops Alcanna has opened in Alberta under the Nova brand are a little oversized for the current market but the company is looking ahead, he said.

Only dried bud and oils are legal now, but within one year the federal government will also regulate edible cannabis products and concentrates such as vape pens.

Those products not only require more room but will draw a new customer base, Crapper said. He looks to California, which recently legalized recreational marijuana. Sales of white wine — popular among “women of a certain age” — are expected to suffer because of the availability of cannabis drinks, he said, which offer “no calories, no hangover, no problem.”

He expects customers at cannabis stores in Canada will increasingly be from a broad demographic. Stores will be located where the customers are, he said in an interview.

“Where is the market for edibles and drinks? We’re going to want to be out in the suburbs as much as we are in downtown Ottawa.”

Alcanna is doing its homework by researching locations across Ontario, but has not signed any leases, he said.

As it turns out, Alcanna had good reason to be cautious. Regulations released Thursday say a corporation isn’t eligible for retail licences if it is more than 9.9 per cent owned by a cannabis grower.

Alcanna is 25-per-cent owned by Aurora, one of Canada’s major cannabis growers.

However, Alcanna says it will explore options such as partnerships with other companies.

“We will ensure that the corporate structure for the entity that will apply for cannabis retail licenses in Ontario complies with both the letter and the spirit of the regulations the Ontario government has put in place,” Alcanna said in a statement Thursday.

Ontario’s law also limits growers “and their affiliates” to operating only one store.

The Ontario Conservative government reversed plans by the previous Liberal regime for government-run cannabis outlets in favour of privately-run stores. There was not enough time to have the stores up and running by the time Canada legalized recreational pot on Oct. 17.

The rules for cannabis stores in Ontario:

Applications for licences are expected to be out on Dec. 17. Stores are expected to open April 1, 2019.

Cannabis stores must be “stand-alone.” It’s not clear whether “stand-alone” means the store must be in its own building, too.

Stores will be open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Stores can only sell cannabis and cannabis accessories.

There will be a limit of 75 stores for any one operator.

There will be “zero tolerance” for retailers who sell cannabis to anyone under the legal age of 19. It’s not clear if that means the store would lose its licence.

A store can only be on a First Nations reserve if it has the approval of the band council.

No one under age 19 can enter a store.

Applicants will be denied a licence if they have “cannabis-related criminal offences.” 

Illegal marijuana dispensary operators who were still in business after Oct. 17 won’t be eligible for a licence.

Individuals and organizations who are associated with organized crime won’t get a licence.

Licence applicants must “demonstrate their tax compliance status to show that they are in good standing with the government.”

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Police raided two illegal marijuana dispensaries in Ottawa on Friday, arresting an unspecified number of people.

Search warrants were executed on The Hemp Company shops on Clarence Street in the ByWard Market and at 1034 Merivale Rd.

Charges are pending, Ottawa Police Service Const. Amy Gagnon said.

The warrants were executed under the new provincial cannabis law, which allows police to close any premise being used to illegally sell marijuana.

People selling cannabis outside the legal framework can be liable for fines and up to two years in jail. Landlords can be charged and given a hefty fine, but Gagnon said police were working to educate landlords about the new law.

Landlords are warned before the raids, and police are looking for their co-operation, she said.

Police appear to be making a concerted effort to close Ottawa’s few remaining dispensaries. Two shops were raided on Nov. 6, with the locks changed on the doors, and six people were charged.

Most of the city’s two dozen dispensaries closed before recreational pot became legal on Oct. 17.

A spokesperson for The Hemp Company said they decided to remain open because customers needed the service, especially since the Ontario government’s online cannabis store had been plagued with delivery problems.

The landlord at the Clarence Street Hemp Company, Toni Azzi of Azzi Realty, said in a phone interview Friday that he was aware of the raid.

“I don’t want to talk to anybody about this,” he said before hanging up.

In an interview earlier this week, Azzi said police had warned him last year that the dispensary was operating illegally. However, his tenants had a lease and he couldn’t just “lock the door and throw them out.

“All I care about is they are paying their rent and … If (police) don’t like it, they can shut them down. It’s not my job to shut ’em down.”

Azzi said he wasn’t aware that landlords renting to illegal pot shops could be charged, with potential fines for corporate landlords as high as $1 million. “They’ve been talking about that for the last couple of years, but I think they are saying that to scare the landlords.”

There was one other dispensary open earlier this week, Mary Janes at 866 Merivale Rd. It was closed on Friday.

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Charges have been stayed against a woman who was arrested after police found a loaded Desert Eagle handgun during raids targeting an Ottawa marijuana dispensary business.

Nina Vigile, 27, had her Charter rights violated because the courts did not handle her case quickly enough, an Ottawa judge ruled Friday.

Nina Vigile is seen here in a file photo from a reality show called The Project: Guatemala. Postmedia files

Vigile was charged in March 2017 after police raided two Magna Terra dispensaries managed by her brother, Franco, as well as the Vigile family home on Hyde Park Way, which was the corporate address for the business.

The unlicensed handgun was seized at the family home, police said. Nina Vigile was charged with a half-dozen weapons offences, including possession of a dangerous weapon, possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of a weapon obtained by crime. She was also charged with possessing the proceeds of crime.

Franco Vigile and another brother, Peter J. Vigile, were charged with drug trafficking and possessing the proceeds of crime. They are scheduled to go to trial in April.

The illegal dispensaries managed by Franco were something of a family business, since both Nina and Peter worked there.

Nina was in court Friday with her father, Peter Vigile, who acted as her surety after she was released on bail. One of her bail conditions was that she live at home with her father on Hyde Park Way. Both declined to comment on Friday.

One of Nina Vigile’s lawyers, Leo Russomanno, said his client was relieved that the charges were no longer hanging over her head. However, it was bittersweet because Vigile had been looking forward to proving her innocence at trial, Russomanno said.

Leo Russomanno and Sarah Ashanti, defence lawyers for Nina Vigile. Jacquie Miller/Postmedia

Russamanno’s law partner, Sarah Ahsan, said it was unfortunate that the court was unable to schedule hearings on the case quickly enough.

A Supreme Court ruling holds that the time between a person’s arrest and the conclusion of a trial in provincial court should be no more than 18 months. It has been 20 months since Nina Vigile was charged.

The 18-month guideline can be extended in exceptional circumstances, such as medical or family emergencies or if the case is unusually complicated, Justice David Berg said.

However, the Vigile case was “relatively straightforward,” he added.

The Magna Terra shops — one on Carling Avenue and one in Stittsville — were unusual among Ottawa dispensaries because Franco Vigile was open about operating them.

Most owners and manager of illegal dispensaries don’t want to be identified, but Franco said he was building the business to help medical patients.

The dispensaries looked like medical clinics and employed a nurse.

Franco was vague about where he obtained the dried weed, oils and cannabis edibles, but claimed they had been “lab tested.”

The businesses were illegal, but Vigile said his aim was to prove to the government that dispensaries could be operated responsibly.

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Now that recreational pot is legal, organizers of the second annual Cannabis & Hemp Expo at the Shaw Centre this weekend expect to see a jump in visitors.

“I think we’ll see more people through the door,” show director Kevin Blackburn said. “Cannabis has been in the spotlight for a few months now and there’s a lot of positivity around the sector.”

He said nearly 6,000 people attended the first cannabis trade show his company Canwest Productions staged here last year. Ottawa is a government town, and some people may have been hesitant to check out the exhibits and seminars last year, he said. While medical cannabis has been allowed in Canada since 2001, recreational pot only became legal on Oct. 17.

The expo is a chance to do everything from buy some rolling papers to hear investment tips about the burgeoning industry.

“It’s an opportunity for cannabis consumers and those curious about the industry to learn about new products, find out about companies they may want to invest in, and hang out with like-minded people all under one roof,” says the company.

The fair will feature about 50 exhibitors selling everything from bongs to growing gear, cannabis recipe books and video surveillance systems.

Seminars that run during the event include advice on trends in vaporizers, the future for the industry, the basics of home growing and medical uses of cannabis.

This year a kitchen is being built to allow more demonstrations on how to cook with cannabis, Blackburn said. There will also be a glass-blowing demonstration.

Only legal businesses and products are allowed to be part of the exhibit, said Blackburn. For example, there will be no exhibits from illegal mail-order weed companies, dispensaries, edible cannabis producers and seed sellers.

Dried cannabis flower, oils and seeds are now legal, but only if bought from government-approved sellers, who obtain their products from growers licensed by Health Canada. Edible cannabis products and vape pens aren’t legal yet.

“Part of getting rid of the stigma of cannabis is to operate legally and that’s what we want to do,” said Blackburn. “Anybody operating in the grey market or illegally will not be in the show.”

He’s turned away some potential exhibitors, such as dispensaries, he said. “We’re in it for the long haul. When (those products and services) are good to go, they’ll be part of the show.”

There is also a day-long industry conference on Friday Nov. 23 featuring keynote speaker Chuck Rifici, CEO of Auxly Cannabis Group, and officials from  several other major cannabis companies, including Indivia, Hexo and MedReleaf. It’s $99.

Cannabis & Hemp Expo

When: Nov. 24 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Nov. 25 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where: The Shaw Centre, 55 Colonel By Drive

Price: $10 online through Nov. 23; $15 at the door, for age 19 and over only

Information: http://www.cannabishempexpo.com

Whether it’s a musical version of Madagascar, fairy tales come to life or a puppet show, the holidays are a great time to take the kids to a theatre production.

Here’s a selection of what’s being staged around town. Don’t delay getting tickets, though, as some performances sell out quickly.

Madagascar — A Musical Adventure

What: The popular animated movie is transformed into a musical in the annual holiday production from Kanata Theatre, an amateur company with winning productions and low prices.

When: Dec. 27 to 30

Where: Ron Maslin Theatre, 1 Ron Maslin Way

Price: $15

Information & tickets: 613- 831-4435, kanatatheatre.ca

Fairytale Caravan

What: This Ottawa School of Theatre production is about a band of caravan fairies, older and new, who travel about recruiting and looking for the Brothers Grimm while sharing some of their favourite fairy tales.  

When: Nov. 23-25

Where: Shenkman Arts Centre, Richcraft Theatre, 245 Centrum Blvd.

Price: $10 adults; $5 children and students

Information & tickets: shenkmanarts.ca; by phone at the theatre school at 613-580-2764; www.oat-eto.ca

The Hockey Sweater: A Musical

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

What: The classic children’s book by C.S. Lewis is brought to life by Ottawa’s 9th Hour Theatre Company and staged at theatres in the west and east ends of the city.

When: Dec. 13 to Dec. 16 at the Shenkman Arts Centre, 245 Centrum Blvd.

When: Dec. 19-23 at the Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe, 101 Centrepointe Drive

Price: $24 for children and $42 for adults

Information & tickets: 1-866 752-5231, shenkmanarts.ca; meridiancentrepointe.com

Elf-The Musical

What: A musical version by Suzart Productions of the holiday tale of a young boy raised with Santa’s elves who goes on a quest to find his father.

When: Dec. 5-9

Where: Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe, 101 Centrepointe Drive

Price: $27.50-$35

Information & tickets: meridiancentrepointe.com

Zoom at Sea is a gentle tale about adventure and friendship.

Zoom at Sea

It’s a Wonderful Life

Petite Sorcière

Canadians will probably never be allowed to smoke pot in a restaurant, but they may soon be sweetening their coffee with THC-infused sugar, a cannabis business conference was told Friday.

The future of the marijuana market is not in traditional dried flower, said Niel Marotta, CEO of Indiva, a cannabis grower in London, Ont.

Like many in the industry, Marotta is looking ahead to an explosion in the types of cannabis products that will be for sale sometime in the next year.

The federal government legalized recreational marijuana on Oct. 17, but only dried bud, oil and seeds are available now.

Health Canada has one year to regulate edible cannabis products and concentrates such as the oil used in vape pens.

For companies, the race is on to develop new products. Companies are trying to figure out what customers will want while waiting for the federal government to tell them what will be allowed.

Indiva has a licensing deal with Rudy Edibles, a company that makes cannabis-infused sugar and salt.

Neil Marotta, CEO of Indiva, was at an industry luncheon ahead of the Cannabis & Hemp Expo at the Shaw Centre. Julie Oliver/Postmedia

Many people who don’t want to smoke cannabis might try it in other forms, Marotta told about 120 people at a business conference held in conjunction with the Cannabis & Hemp Expo at the Shaw Centre this weekend.

“Asking grandma to put it in a pipe and smoke it is a big ask,” Marotta said.

But his own mother can’t wait to try the cannabis sugar, he said. “She can’t stop asking me when it’s coming.”

Like many others, his mom is curious about cannabis, Marotta said in an interview. “There is zero possibility that she’ll ever be a smoker, and I don’t think she’d ever vape, but sugar in her tea or salt on her fries…”

The sugar comes in varieties infused with THC, the psychoactive chemical that causes the high, and CBD, a chemical with medical benefits.

Marotta says he doubts if anti-smoking laws will ever be relaxed to allow pot smoking in bars, restaurants and other public indoor spaces.

“But if you want to put some sugar in your coffee, that is not offensive to anybody.”

Indiva also has a joint venture with Bhang, a U.S. manufacturer of cannabis chocolates and vape pens. Indivia has the right to produce and sell products under that brand.

Indiva also has a joint venture with Bhang, a U.S. manufacturer of cannabis chocolates and vape pens.

Other Canadian cannabis companies are making similar deals to add brands that are well known in U.S. states that have legalized pot.

Ottawa-based Auxly Cannabis Group, for example, has a licensing deal with Dixie Brands, a Colorado producer of cannabis drinks, chocolates and candies.

Ottawa-based Auxly Cannabis Group has a licensing deal with Dixie Brands, a Colorado producer of cannabis drinks, chocolates and candies.

Auxly CEO Chuck Rifici told the conference that Health Canada would have to allow the sale of products already available on the black market, such as hash and shatter, if it hoped to combat illegal sales.

Health Canada officials say they hope to release draft regulations on edibles and concentrates by the end of the year.

In the meantime, companies are dreaming up new products, from beverages to lotions.

It’s an exciting time, said Ottawa lawyer Trina Fraser, who advises cannabis companies and is an expert on the regulatory process.

“The sky’s the limit,” at least until the regulations arrive, Fraser said. “Everybody is out there innovating in the absence of regulations.”

jmiller@postmedia.com

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Killaloe resident Cleve Casimir Geddes was suicidal when he was admitted to the Ottawa jail to wait for a court-ordered psychiatric assessment, an inquest into his death was told Tuesday.

But being suicidal wasn’t by itself a reason to move him up on the waiting list for assessment, said Joan Garrow, a manager at The Royal’s forensic program.

The first priority in managing the waiting list is public safety, said Garrow.

Geddes, who had schizophrenia, was secure at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, said Garrow. There were also psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers on staff at the jail, she said.

Geddes spent eight days at the jail before he hanged himself in his cell using bed sheets in February 2017.

The nine-day inquest under Coroner Dr. Michael Wilson is hearing evidence from officials at The Royal, the jail, mental health services, the court, Ontario Provincial Police, the provincial ministry responsible for corrections, and the Geddes family.

The testimony so far has shed light on some of the difficulties faced by mentally ill people in the justice system, from hospital bed shortages to jails that don’t have proper facilities for suicidal inmates.

Geddes could be aggressive, yelling, swearing and going on “rants,” especially when he was off his medication, the inquest heard. A nurse who was his mental-health worker in 2015-16 said Geddes was kind, smart and pleasant when on his medication.

However, he didn’t like the side effects and when Geddes stopped taking his medication in the fall of 2016 he became increasingly agitated and unkempt, said Judy Hartwig.

She said she never knew him to be violent, though.

He was charged with causing a disturbance and uttering threats after a confrontation with a patron of the Pembroke Library who complained that Geddes wanted to watch porn on a computer.

Geddes was arrested in Killaloe on Jan. 30, 2017 for allegedly assaulting and threatening police officers who had been sent to investigate a separate complaint of threats made by Geddes’ father.

A judge in Pembroke ordered Geddes held in custody for an assessment at The Royal.

The purpose of the assessment was not to treat his illness but to provide a recommendation to the court on whether Geddes was criminally responsible in light of his mental illness, explained Garrow.

But there were no forensic beds available at the Royal, so Geddes was sent to the jail to wait.

A lawyer representing a support group for women whose loved ones have been or are incarcerated questioned how Geddes, a man with no history of violence, ended up housed in jail.

Geddes was on suicide watch at the jail, then taken off in favour of “enhanced supervision” shortly before he took his life.

During suicide watch, inmates are either observed continually or every 10 minutes, said Linda Ogilvie, a manager for the provincial ministry responsible for corrections.

The open ranges in most jails are not designed to allow for constant monitoring of people at risk of suicide, she said.

Most jails use segregation for suicidal inmates, she said.

The ministry’s suicide prevention policy says suicidal inmates should be housed alone, preferably in a special needs unit or a safe cell, and segregation should be used “only as a last resort,” the inquest heard.

jmiller@postmedia.com

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Whether you’re looking for the perfect hand-made gift or hankering for a sleigh ride, check out these Christmas markets:

Christmas at Lansdowne

What: The Ottawa Farmers’ Market is transformed for four weekends in December into a Christmas extravaganza featuring 120 vendors selling locally made food, arts and crafts.

The extras: Horse and wagon rides on Dec. 8, 9 and 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a craft corner for the kids and live music from choirs and buskers.

When: Dec. 1-2, 8-9, 15-16, 22-23, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Where: Lansdowne Park in the Aberdeen Pavilion

Information: ottawafarmersmarket.ca/christmas

The Wakefield Christmas Market in 2017.

A European style market in the countryside

What: The Wakefield Christmas Market is a European inspired outdoor festival with more than 80 vendors selling local food, crafts, and art.

The extras: A bonfire to warm up, outdoor carolling and a heated music tent that boasts tunes ranging from children’s choirs to Cajun bands. For the kids, sleigh rides and a visit from Santa.

When: Dec. 8 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Where: Wakefield Community Centre, 38 Valley River Dr., Wakefield, Que.

Information: noelwakefieldmarket.com

Christmas at the Museum

What: The Canadian Museum of History stages a market in the awesome Grand Hall, with more than 80 exhibitors offering crafts, gourmet food and jewelry.

The extras: You can check out the museum exhibits while you are there.

When: Nov. 30 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Dec. 1 and Dec. 2 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where: Canadian Museum of History, 100 Laurier St., Gatineau

Information: historymuseum.ca/event/christmas-market/

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A cosy little store on Bank Street in the Glebe that for years sold yarn and thread could soon be transformed into a pot boutique called Ouid.

That’s pronounced weed.

The former Yarn Forward & Sew-On store is one of at least seven locations across the city that have been leased by companies hoping to set up cannabis shops.

This is just the beginning. The province has said it won’t limit the number of licences for privately-run cannabis stores that will start opening in April. Officials have estimated there could be 500 to 1,000 stores across Ontario, so Ottawa could conceivably have a few dozen.

Unless the city decides not to allow any shops — a possibility that entrepreneurs are gambling is unlikely. Municipalities have until Jan. 22 to opt out of cannabis stores, a course of action that is not supported by Mayor Jim Watson and does not appear to have traction among councillors, either.

Postmedia has identified two companies planning multiple shops in the province that have already leased storefronts in Ottawa.

The company behind Ouid has leased three:

581 Bank St., just south of the Queensway in the Glebe;

362 Richmond Rd. in Westboro, near Mountain Equipment Co-op;

and 258 Elgin St., between Somerset Street West and Cooper Street.

Leased: The former Yarn Forward & Sew-On store in the Glebe.

Leased: A former Bridgehead coffee shop on Richmond Road, at right.

Leased: The former Tokyo Shop, a dollar store on Elgin Street.

Ouid officials are looking for locations in Kanata and Barrhaven. The plan is to open four to six stores in Ottawa and about 20 across the province.

Ouid stores won’t be anything like a stereotypical “dark, tie-dyed, black lit, incense smelling” head shop, promises spokesperson Niel Marotta.

Expect a cross between a jewelry store and a women’s fashion boutique, with a bright, airy feel, he said. “Attractive, friendly, inviting, inclusive.”

An artist’s conception of a Ouid cannabis store lobby.

A Calgary company creating a chain of cannabis shops called Spiritleaf has also moved into town. It has secured four storefronts in Ottawa, one of them in Bells Corners, said Darren Bondar, chief executive of parent company Inner Spirit Holdings. He declined to name the locations.

Spiritleaf outlets are now open in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and are planned for B.C. The company plans a “full court press” in Ontario, said Bondar. The goal is to open 75, the maximum number of stores allowed any one operator under Ontario regulations.

Spiritleaf stores feature a lounge area that promotes Up cannabis, the brand connected with the Tragically Hip.

A Spiritleaf store in Calgary. The lounge features a painting of Gord Downie, the late lead singer with the Tragically Hip. The lounge is sponsored by Up, a cannabis company backed by the Hip.

The stigma created by illegal dispensaries is disappearing as legal stores open, he said. “The cannabis companies that are moving into the market, the stores are unbelievable.

“We’ve built stores that are operating in some community malls, we’re right next to an organic grocery store and a bank and we fit right in. You can come in and you are shopping at a high-end boutique where we are selling cannabis.”

People quickly realize it’s “just regular retail, if not elevated retail,” he said.

“Now that people are going in and out of our stores, it’s becoming a non-conversation. In fact, we are getting tons of positive reviews from landlords and communities that were otherwise concerned, and rightfully so, to realize OK,  there is a positive to this. This is the way it’s going to be brought legal and change the stigma.”

The company has received about 500 applications to operate Spiritleaf franchise stores in Ontario, said Bondar. “There’s a lot of buzz around the cannabis industry.”

Inner Spirit Holdings negotiates the leases with landlords and provides a standard design, training and logistical help, but the stores will be independently owned and operated by franchise holders who know their communities, he said.

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At Ouid, officials say they look for storefronts in urban, densely populated, upper middle-class neighbourhoods with lots of foot and car traffic. Like The Glebe, which Ouid promotional material dubs “upscale, historic, hip” and “outdoorsy, upcoming, healthy” Westboro.

It helps to have compatible businesses nearby, said Koby Smutylo, president of Retailgo Corp., the company that operates Ouid. Like Starbucks, for instance. Smutylo says the coffee chain is also an “accessible premium” brand.

“It’s just like if I treat myself to a latte in the afternoon and it’s a $4 or $5 drink, it’s a little thing I’m doing for myself to make myself feel a little bit better.”

Cannabis will be no different, he predicts, calling the drug “part of your wellness and personal care regime.” The target demographic for Ouid stores is people age 24 to 44.

Smutylo is an Ottawa business lawyer who got involved in the cannabis business when he worked for Gatineau cannabis grower Hydropothecary, now known as Hexo. He and Marotta, a former investment banker who also lives in Ottawa, teamed up with veteran grower Pete Young to found Indiva, a Health Canada licensed medical marijuana grower. Indiva has a production facility in London, Ont.

They were interested in opening stores, too, but licensed growers are only allowed to operate one store located at their production facility. So Retailgo Corp. was created to operate the Ouid stores.

So far nine storefronts have been leased across the province, in Toronto, Ottawa and Guelph.

Urban, hip: An artist’s conception of a Ouid storefront.

Some large landlords were reluctant to rent to cannabis shops, said Smutylo.

“One of the challenges in acquiring locations is that established landlords — the ones owned by pension funds and real estate investment trusts — are resistant to cannabis shops, even though they are legal and highly regulated.”

That’s partly because of the stigma that surrounds cannabis and fear about the customers who might be attracted to the store, he said.

Some landlords are also part of companies that have operations in the U.S., where marijuana is illegal federally. “They don’t want to risk jeopardizing them in any way.”

Smutylo says Ouid stores will be good neighbours. They also plan to feature local artwork or crafts.

Ouid officials plan to meet with community and business associations in the Glebe, Westboro and Elgin starting next week, he said.

“This industry is going to be in neighbourhoods. And as a new industry, I think we have a responsibility to be respectful, and good community members, and that’s certainly our intention.”

Postmedia canvassed businesses near the proposed Ouid stores, and found support for the idea of a cannabis store on the block.

Sebastien Sardegna, who was working at Barnstormer Hair Studio a few doors down from the proposed store in the Glebe, was impressed by the artist’s rendering of the Ouid design. “Wow, it looks really nice. Kind of a cross between Saje and David’s Tea.”

That strip at the north end the Glebe near the Queensway is “kind of funky,” he said. It has an eclectic mix of businesses. “I think everyone is very open-minded. Hopefully nothing negative comes from (Ouid).

“At this point in time, it’s just going to be like having an LCBO at the corner.”

In Westboro, the Ouid store would take over the space once occupied by a Bridgehead coffee shop, next to Canopy, a store that sells locally produced products, from artwork to jam and jewelry.

“I’m pot friendly, so I’m all for it,” said Canopy manger Lindsay Dupuis.

She uses cannabis every day herself to relax. “I equate it to my glass of wine at the end of the night.”

On Elgin Street, Georgette Skaff operates the Hair Dynamic salon next door to the proposed Ouid shop.

She wondered if anyone would be smoking pot at the store, saying she didn’t want the smell coming through the joint wall. But when told that Ouid would only sell cannabis, she said she had no concerns.

“As long as it doesn’t affect me, and it’s done with rules and regulations and done with the law, it should be fine.”

A Meta Cannabis Supply Company shop in Winnipeg.

Check out these other cannabis chains we may see in Ottawa

Meta Cannabis Supply Company

Ottawa-based National Access Cannabis is the largest operator of private cannabis stores in Canada. It plans to bring its Meta brand to Ontario, including Ottawa. The company has a deal with Second Cup to convert some coffee shops to cannabis stores. There’s no word yet on locations in Ottawa, but stay tuned.

An artist conception of the inside of a Mīhī store.

Mīhī

The name is a Latin word meaning “for me,” and the company behind it plans Ontario stores for “cannabis consumers who want to live an authentic life, those seeking deeper, richer life experiences.” Officials are interested in the Ottawa area, according to a spokesman for Blackshire Capital Corp., which is pouring $25 million into launching the chain. No details yet, though.

Customers smell samples of cannabis at the Fire & Flower store in Edmonton.

Fire & Flower

This company now opening stores in Western Canada has plans to expand into Ontario. It’s unclear how the plans  will be affected by provincial rules that disqualify retail store applicants that are more than 9.9 per cent owned or controlled by cannabis growers. Several growers have invested in Fire & Flower, including Gatineau’s Hexo. Fire & Flower released a statement saying it is “working to meet the requirements before the submission deadline and is monitoring the evolving guidelines closely.”

There was a lineup at the Nova store in Edmonton on Oct. 17, the day Canada legalized recreational pot. Photo by David Bloom

Nova

It’s unclear if this western Canadian cannabis chain operated by the huge liquor distributor Alcanna will move into Ontario as originally planned. Alcanna is also affected by the 9.9 per cent ownership rule because the company is 25-per-cent owned by Aurora, one of the country’s largest cannabis growers. Alcanna is weighing its options, said a spokesperson.

Opening a cannabis store in Ontario: a guide to the rules

Who can run a cannabis store? 

The provincial government has opened up the trade to private businesses. Those seeking licences will be screened for criminal background and financial irresponsibility. More broadly, if there are reasonable ground to believe applicants won’t act with “integrity, honest or in the public interest” they will be rejected. Anyone operating an illegal dispensary after Oct. 17, when pot was legalized, isn’t eligible.

How do you apply?

Licences are issued by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. Application forms will be available on Dec. 17.

Fees for applying to run a cannabis store in Ontario have been posted by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

How much does it cost?

For a person or company operating one store, the initial fee to apply for the three licences required would amount to $10,750. Anyone operating stores needs an operator licence for $6,000; each individual store licence is $4,000; and the store manager licence is $750.

How many stores will there be?

There is no limit to the number of licences that will be awarded. The market will probably end up determining how many stores will succeed.

Where will the stores be located?

Municipalities have until Jan. 22 to opt out of having any cannabis stores at all within their borders. They can opt back in later, but once stores are allowed municipalities can’t change their minds.

Stores can’t be located within 150 metres of schools.

What if neighbours don’t want a cannabis store?

Locations will be posted and the public has 15 days to comment in writing to the AGCO. However, the grounds for refusing a licence are limited to “public health and safety, protecting youth and restricting their access to cannabis, and preventing illegal activities in relation to cannabis.”

When will stores open?

April 2019.

What will the stores be allowed to sell?

Cannabis and accessories. Right now only dried bud, oil and seeds are legal, but within the year the federal government will regulate edible cannabis products and concentrates, like the substance used in vape pens.

Where can I legally buy marijuana in the meantime?

The Ontario government operates an online cannabis store at ocs.ca. The online store will continue to operate after the bricks-and-mortar shops open.

jmiller@postmedia.com

twitter.com/JacquieAMiller

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Ottawa Public Health is investigating the possibility that 150 students and some staff at Ridgemont High School were exposed to a student with active tuberculosis.

The students, their parents and the staff have received a letter recommending they be tested for TB infection, said Ottawa Public Health.

Public Health said the students and staff may have been exposed between Sept. 4 and Nov. 12.

The infected student is no longer in school, said a spokesperson for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, which is working in conjunction with Ottawa Public Health.

The statement from Public Health suggests there is currently no threat of those at the school being exposed to the TB bacteria. 

Public Health is “not aware of any person currently infectious with TB disease who is attending or working at Ridgemont High School,” said the statement on Tuesday. “As a result, there is no indication of ongoing spread of TB bacteria to Ridgemont High School students or staff.”

TB bacteria can be spread through the air when a person with TB coughs.

Parents who attended an information session last night at Ridgemont were not overly concerned with the situation.

“My friend is a public health nurse up north — there’s TB up there — and she said, ‘Don’t be too worried,’” said Donna Smeaton, whose son is in Grade 12. “I’m told you have to be in really close quarters to get infected.”

A Syrian immigrant, Firas Majbour, has a Grade 11 daughter at Ridgemont, but he said he was not worried about TB.

“No, there is no concern. We just need to know the information,” said Majbour, an electrical and computer engineer who arrived in Canada seven months ago.

Pam Oickle, program manager for infectious diseases at Ottawa Public Health, met with parents at the school Tuesday evening in a closed information session. Before the meeting, Oickle said she intended to encourage parents to have their children tested next week.

“We’re strongly encouraging that everyone who has potentially been exposed get a tuberculin skin test,” she told reporters.

Oickle said TB can be effectively treated with a nine-month course of antibiotics.

Ottawa Public Health will be set to test about 150 students and staff for TB infection beginning the week of Dec. 10. People who should be tested were sent letters on Dec. 3.

The testing will identify people with latent TB infection, which means that TB bacteria have entered the body but are dormant and not growing, said public health. People with latent infections do not feel sick. The latent condition is not contagious and people who have it cannot pass the bacteria to another person. However, without treatment, a small percentage of those with a latent TB infection may develop active TB later in life.

Oickle said someone would have to spend a significant period of time in close quarters with someone infected with TB in order to breathe in the bacteria.

The most common way to test for TB infection is a skin test, according to public health. Anyone with a positive skin test should have a chest X-ray and medical assessment, said the department.

Tuberculosis usually affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, kidneys or spine. It is curable, usually by taking antibiotics for at least six months.

Ottawa typically has two or three TB-related deaths in a year, according to Public Health. Most of the fatalities are due to unsuccessful treatment. In some cases TB was a contributing factor or was only diagnosed after death.

In Ottawa so far this year, 42 cases of TB have been reported. That’s average, according to statistics from Public Health, which show the number of cases per year for the past five years has ranged from 41 to 52.

In other parts of the world, TB is a serious health threat. Last year an estimated 10 million people globally developed TB and 1.6 million people died from it, according to the World Health Organization.

More information about TB: http://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/public-health-topics/tuberculosis.aspx

With files from Andrew Duffy

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jmiller@postmedia.com

twitter.com/JacquieAMiller

A doctor who sexually assaulted his patients and secretly recorded videos of them during examinations at University of Ottawa Health Services clinics has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Vincent Nadon of Chelsea pleaded guilty Wednesday to multiple counts of sexual assault and voyeurism at a court hearing that featured emotional statements from nearly a dozen of his victims.

Some wiped away tears as they described the devastating impact of the actions of their doctor.

Several women said they now had trouble trusting doctors or other authorities and were haunted by fears the videos might be circulating online.

The charges relate to 49 victims over a span of 28 years.

Crown Attorney Meaghan Cunningham said she was not aware of any other medical professional in Canada convicted in a sex-crime case with that many victims.

Nadon, 57, used a personal cellphone to make video recordings of 38 patients during medical examinations at the clinics, the court heard. In most cases, the women’s breasts were exposed, and the camera also captured them dressing and undressing.

Nadon sometimes moved the patients’ clothing to ensure the women’s breasts were in camera range. Police recovered videos from a hard drive at Nadon’s home.

The sexual assault charges relate to 21 patients involving events between 1990 and 2018.

Nadon touched the breasts of some patients — Justice Julie Bourgeois described it as “groping or cupping” — without their consent for sexual purposes, according to the statement of facts. In one case Nadon squeezed the nipples of a woman who was described as a new immigrant, asking her to get off the examination table, bend over and shake her breasts.

Nadon also performed pap smears with one hand ungloved, and in some case inserted his ungloved hand into patients’ vaginas, according to the statement. Nadon then went to a garbage can in the room and made a noise to make it seem like he was pulling off his gloves.

He also performed a medical exam that was described as being not necessary. Nadon asked a woman who came in for a psychological referral to remove her clothing and touched her naked body, the court heard.

Several women who gave victim-impact statements said Nadon was an excellent doctor and they were shocked when he was charged last January.

Victims told court they had been profoundly affected by Nadon’s crimes, describing feelings of powerlessness, embarrassment and even guilt.

One victim said police called her to view a video they had seized of an examination Nadon had conducted on her when she was pregnant. “I saw myself naked and exposed,” she said. “I wanted to be sick.”

Since then, she has not been able to go to another doctor, and is uncomfortable undressing, even in front of her husband, the woman said. The comfort and safety she once felt at home with the person she loves the most has been shattered, she said.

Several woman said they have become distrustful of men and fear being videotaped in other situations. “I feel violated and betrayed,” said one woman who says she now looks for hidden cameras everywhere, is obsessed with locking doors, and has developed a medical condition that can be caused by stress.

Nadon, a tall, distinguished-looking man with white hair, read from a prepared statement that said he was profoundly sorry for his unethical behaviour and the pain he caused to so many.

“What I did was wrong and I deeply regret it.”

He deeply wounded his family and the “entire community,” said Nadon, his voice breaking at one point.

Nadon said he has a “serious problem” and is deeply motivated to seek help for it.

He has two teenage daughters and can’t imagine something like this happening to them, he said.

During the court proceedings, Nadon kept his head lowered most of the time and did not look directly at the spectators or the victims who read statements.

The Crown and defence made a joint submission for a sentence of eight years, less one year for time already served in custody.

Nadon’s actions represented a gross breach of trust, they agreed.

Nadon accepted responsibility and his guilty plea spared victims a trial, said his defence lawyer Dominic Lamb. Nadon has lost his family, many of his friends, and will probably never practise medicine again, said Lamb.

A victim of Dr. Vincent Nadon, who read a victim impact statement in court, waits outside the Ottawa Courthouse after Nadon entered a plea of guilty to many sex crimes. Wayne Cuddington/Postmedia

Nadon was charged last January after a patient discovered a cellphone partly hidden in a cupboard was recording her in the doctor’s office during a visit for a Pap smear.

When the woman confronted Nadon, the doctor claimed he was recording the exam for “training purposes,” according to police reports.

Police arrested Nadon the next evening in the parking lot of a grocery store in Chelsea after officers saw him throwing a garbage bag into a dumpster. Police seized a cellphone in a pink case and a badly damaged hard drive, then searched Nadon’s home, vehicles, two trailers on his property and a storage locker at his clinic.

He was charged with sexual assault and voyeurism.

That triggered a wider investigation, with more patients coming forward. More charges were laid against Nadon in February and May.

Nadon initially was granted bail after his wife and brother posted $10,000 each as sureties.

However, he has been in custody since he was last arrested in May and has not sought bail.

After the charges, the University of Ottawa Health Services removed Nadon from his post and banned him from practising at its four clinics. The College of Physicians and Surgeons suspended his licence to practise medicine.

Nadon treated students, faculty and members of the community at the University of Ottawa Health Services for more than 25 years.

The university has a contract with the clinics, which are independently owned and operated.

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When she heard that her doctor had been charged with sexually assaulting and secretly recording videos of patients, the woman could not believe it.

Until Ottawa police asked her to watch a video that Dr. Vincent Nadon had recorded of her medical examination at a University of Ottawa Health Services clinic.

“I felt like I lost a part of trust in humanity,” said the woman, capturing the sentiment of a dozen others who gave victim-impact statements when the Chelsea doctor pleaded guilty on Wednesday.

Nadon used an iPhone to record patients during doctor’s visits that included pap tests, breast exams and confidential conversations. Sometimes he moved their clothes around the exam room to make sure the women were in full view of the camera while they put their clothes back on.

The recordings also captured sexual assaults Nadon committed on some of the women, such as putting his ungloved finger into their vaginas during pap tests and groping their breasts.

Nadon’s crimes were uncovered in January 2018 when a patient noticed an iPhone partly hidden in a cupboard recording her. Police seized 42 videos on a computer hard-drive at Nadon’s home. They also retrieved a hard drive that Nadon had disposed of in a dumpster, but it had been smashed and nothing was recovered from it.

Dr. Vincent Nadon leaves the Ottawa courthouse in January 2018. Tony Caldwell

As the investigation widened, other victims came forward who had been sexually assaulted by the doctor.

Nadon was sentenced to eight years for his crimes against 49 women spanning 28 years.

The sentence for his victims continues as they cope with the betrayal by their trusted doctor and wonder whether there are videos out there somewhere of their most vulnerable moments.

Some of Nadon’s victims spoke out or had statements read on their behalf in court. These are some of their stories, in their own words:

‘I wanted to be sick’

Throughout all the years I had Dr. Nadon, I always felt I could trust him and that he was an exceptionally caring and sensitive doctor. I never once questioned his judgment, and I had a hard time believing it could be true. …

Then one day I received a call to come into the police station and I was shown a video, and I saw myself there naked and exposed. I knew by the way my body looked in the video that I was pregnant with my son. I wanted to be sick.

And since that day I could never be sure if these videos were ever shared or shown to anyone else. Since that day, I have not been able to return to a doctor’s office or had a doctor’s appointment with any other doctor.

Since that day I’ve not been able to comfortably get dressed and undressed in front of my own husband.

I hide in the closet and I don’t like the feeling of someone seeing me exposed without my permission. This isn’t how my relationship should be with my life partner, and it’s this part that I hate the most — that the comfort and safety I should feel in my own home with the person I love the most is (gone).

‘One word stands out: ashamed’

Powerless, emotional, embarrassed, betrayed, angry and violated. These are just a few words that first come to mind when I think about what has happened to me. But one word stands out above the rest, and that word is ashamed.

It’s a word that’s not fair or justified. It’s a word that Dr. Nadon has caused me to have to live with, to have to wonder what I did to deserve this and wonder how I could possibly know what was going on. It’s the word that pops into my mind when I try to talk about what has occurred to me and the same word that stops me from being able to deal with it.

As a doctor, you took an oath, an oath to maintain confidentiality, an oath to do no harm. You recklessly abused that oath and abused your position of power and trust, and selfishly took advantage of me in a place where privacy and discretion in my best interest were supposed to be my right. I’m now left scarred and skeptical of the system that was meant to protect me.

I haven’t been able to face going back to the doctor for anything, let alone a physical, since discovering that there are images of me naked and vulnerable out there. I no longer have faith my privacy will be respected, even though that’s my right.

I do not try on clothes in store change rooms for fear that there are hidden cameras and someone is watching me. I live in fear that someday someone I know will call or message me and tell me, “Hey, I saw a video that looked exactly like you on the Internet, naked.”

… In malls, I see you, Dr. Nadon, in every middle-aged man around your height with grey hair and my heart stops and my stomach plummets for those few seconds before my rational brain kicks in and tells me, “Its OK, it’s not you.”

You’ve turned things as simple as being in public and going to work into anxiety-ridden challenges.

‘My pregnancy was tainted by his actions’

I felt sick, violated and angry. Upon leaving the (police station after viewing the video) I began to question my whole health history. Did I even have a normal exam in the past or was this just an excuse to give me a physical?

I found out from my current doctor a few weeks ago that I did, in fact, receive a lot more physicals than I should have. I’ve had more psychological damage because I don’t even know if I had a cancer scare or if he just wanted to see me more often.

I keep thinking what has been uncovered is likely just the tip of the iceberg for this sick man.

I was two months pregnant when I last visited him. Upon hearing of his dismissal, I was not only left with no doctor, but I was also left with the stress of having his name associated with all my pregnancy appointments. Every time I (went) for blood work, it was sent to Dr. Nadon and I had to figure out a way to make sure somebody saw my file.

Pregnancy is supposed to be this beautiful time in your life, and mine was tainted by his actions.

I spent my pregnancy dealing with all these emotions and stress instead of being able to focus on what I should have, the baby.

I’ve been to several therapy sessions that continue until I can work through it. He’s made me feel anger, embarrassment, shame and betrayal. I trusted him. I trusted him for 15 years.

‘Ranting about men and the possibility of people filming everywhere’

As much as I would love to read this statement aloud in court today, I just can’t. I’m not strong enough and I’m too vulnerable. …

I remember (Nadon) commenting on my looks many times over the years, such as telling me I look like a model. I also remember leaving doctor’s appointments wondering why it felt sexual versus professional. I thought it was in my mind. Now I know my feelings are valid.

This is a form of mental abuse that could be very longstanding. I started seeing you at around 18 years old, this is all I pretty much knew of a doctor.

After finding out about what you had done, I began to realize this event has affected my ability to connect and trust in men. I used to be bubbly, relaxed, easy to connect with, and at ease with my contact with men. After, I would walk through my life feeling very suspicious and questioning the intent of men, where before I would assume things were fine.

For months, I would get angry with men who were looking at me, particularly for a few moments longer than I thought they should. I know not everyone is looking at me in that way. But it’s an emotional reaction that I cannot necessarily control.

I also find myself looking for cameras everywhere and am obsessed with locking my doors. When I’m in bathrooms and change rooms, I know something isn’t quite right with my line of thinking. I find myself ranting about men and the possibility of people filming everywhere.

I wish that I can forgive you soon, because I don’t have any other option but to move on with my life, knowing that I am now part of a statistic.

‘I trusted him with my kids’

He was my trusted doctor for 16 years. I held him in very high regard, was fond of him and trusted him with my kids. He is therefore entwined in 16 years of memories, some of my most important life experiences, due to the physical and emotional health challenges that came with them.

He videotaped me without my consent during a physical exam, one of the most emotional and physically exposed situations a person can be in. Not only that, while I was being videotaped, we were discussing a very personal and emotional health issue that I had come to him for help with. I could not have been more vulnerable.

To see that conversation, in that context, 10 years later, was a punch in the gut. A show of utter disrespect and disregard for me as a person, let alone as a patient.

(Now I have) a fear reaction every time I see someone roughly of his physical description out of the corner of my eye, adrenalin and pit of the stomach freezing, catching my breath.

(And) the stress and responsibility of having to protect my kids from this story, the real story about why Dr. Nadon is not our doctor anymore, so that they’re not afraid of doctors.”

All this to say, Dr. Nadon’s actions have caused me emotional harm, and some imprint of his actions will stay with me and my family forever.”

‘For months I’ve been struggling to sleep at night’

“I have suffered with mental health in the last couple of years … it  has caused a huge setback in my mental health and the progress I was beginning to make.

For months now, I’ve been struggling to stay asleep at night. My mind begins to wander and I go over it all in my head, my visits with Dr. Nadon.

How did I not notice the camera? How did I not notice his odd behaviour? How did I let myself trust him so much? How did I not see the type of person he was?

Second-guessing a doctor was something I had never considered. I mean, if you can’t trust your doctor, then who can you trust?

Statements have been condensed for length

jmiller@postmedia.com

twitter.com/JacquieAMiller

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A massage therapist working at a clinic in the east end of Ottawa has been charged with two counts of sexual assault.

Matthew Lessard, 31, was charged in connection with incidents involving two female patients he treated this week, said Ottawa police on Friday.

Investigators say they are concerned there could be more alleged victims.

The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario has a Matthew Lessard registered, with a note saying he has been charged with sexual assault.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ottawa Police Service tip line at 613-236-1222, ext. 5760.

Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers, toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or downloading the Ottawa Police app. 

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Services provided to students at the University of Ottawa by their student federation, from the bookstore to a food bank, will continue until the end of the winter school term, it was announced Wednesday.

The university had announced plans to cut ties with the beleaguered student federation as of Dec. 24 because of allegations of financial mismanagement, workplace misconduct and internal conflict.

A referendum is scheduled for Feb. 11 to allow students to select a group to represent them.

However, to ensure there is no disruption, the university has signed a temporary agreement with the federation to allow services to continue until April 30, 2019, the federation announced Wednesday.

The federation operates a network of services, including a bookstore, convenience store and pub and 14 centres devoted to various issues, from bilingualism to Pride.

All but two of the six executives at the federation resigned this fall.

Those two plan to form a group to run in the referendum under the federation name, said executive Paige Booth, who is one of them. She says the federation is committed to overhauling its governance structure and putting better financial controls in place.

More than 1,000 people have signed a petition in support of the current federation, according to the federation.

A forensic audit conducted by an accounting firm did not find evidence of fraud at the federation, but did reveal instances of two federation officials whose families received catering contracts.

The audit recommended the federation enact policies on conflict-of-interest and procuring goods and services.

The university administration has said it has no confidence in the current federation’s “ability to practice sound financial management.” Students deserve a “legitimate and trustworthy student government,” said David Graham, the provost and vice-president academic, in an earlier statement.

The university appointed Lucie Allaire, a former uOttawa ombudsperson, to run the referendum. She will independently establish and administer the rules surrounding the vote. Plans call for the winning group to hold elections in March.

jmiller@postmedia.com

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Ottawa has decided to allow pot shops within city borders but will do its level best to prevent two of them from setting up in the same block.

Councillors agreed Thursday to automatically object to any proposal to locate a cannabis store within 150 metres of another cannabis store or parks, libraries or other community-owned facilities. The 150-metre buffer is roughly equivalent to a city block.

The city will also object to applications for shops in areas in which retail is not the primary use.

Whether the city’s objections will hold any sway is up to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, the body in charge of issuing licences for the shops.

The province set the rules for operation of the privately run businesses that will start opening in April 2019. Municipalities cannot limit the number of shops that can open or use targeted zoning and licensing to control where they are located. The cannabis shops are to be treated like any other retail store.

Mayor Jim Watson and some councillors said they were upset by the lack of local control. Some worry about clusters of shops creating “marijuana alleys” or shops setting up near residential areas.

Cities can opt out of having any shops at all, but on Thursday councillors rejected that idea as unrealistic.

The province has not put a limit on how many licences can be issued. Provincial rules say the shops can’t be within 150 metres of schools.

Cara Rose-Brown told council she and her husband have bought a Spiritleaf cannabis franchise and plan to open a store in Ottawa.

However, municipalities, as well as any member of the public, have 15 days to comment on any application for a cannabis store licence. The locations will be posted on the store sites and listed on the AGCO website.

The city plans to take full advantage of that and councillors approved a list of conditions that would trigger an automatic objection.

The AGCO has warned that the only grounds for objection are “protecting public health and safety, protecting youth and restricting their access to cannabis and preventing illicit activities in relation to cannabis.”

A city report outlined how council can mount objections using those grounds: having stores near areas where youths congregate could “normalize cannabis use” and promote unhealthy behaviour, for instance, while greater access to stores could promote consumption of pot.

Lawyer Megan Cornell, whose firm helps entrepreneurs interested in setting up cannabis shops, told council that city tax dollars shouldn’t be spent on automatically opposing licence applications on those grounds.

The city’s decision to object to any store within 150 metres of another cannabis shop presents practical problems, she said. If several applicants apply for shops in the same block, which one will the city object to?

Other councillors had questions about what legal stores will be like. Coun. Allan Hubley wanted assurances they won’t resemble the illegal dispensaries in town, which he described as “hole in the walls with heavy drug users hanging around them.”

Cara Rose-Brown told council that she and her husband have bought a Spiritleaf cannabis franchise and plan to open a store in Ottawa. She described the Spirit Leaf stores as professional, beautifully designed, “high-end retail.” They’ve invested $400,00 in the franchise, she said.

All about the shops

How many will there be?

The province has put no limit on the number of licenses that can be issued.

Where will the stores be located?

The province says they can’t be within 150 metres of schools. Municipalities and the public will be given 15 days to comment on licence applications.

What will the stores look like?

That depends on the owner, but they all have to follow some rules. There will be no clear glass storefront windows, for instance, because no cannabis products can be visible from the street. Inside, the products won’t be on shelves, but will be sold from behind the counter.

Who can shop there?

No one under age 19 can enter the stores.

What’s for sale?

Right now only dried flower, oil, cannabis seeds and seedlings can be sold, plus cannabis accessories such as bongs and pipes. By Oct. 2019 the federal government will regulate edible cannabis and concentrates, so they will show up in stores, too. It’s not known yet what products will be allowed, but they could include cannabis edibles like cookies, candy, mints and drinks, vape pens and lotions.

When will the stores open?

Starting April 1, 2019.

jmiller@postmedia.com

No one expects that gummy bears will be on the menu of the cannabis-infused foods the federal government will allow to be sold in the nation’s pot stores next year.

But how about candies called “chewables”? Or tarts, tablets and mints?

They may all be similar, but the formats and names could be key to what is acceptable to federal regulators.

What confections will be allowed is one of the biggest question marks as Canada awaits regulations from Health Canada on cannabis “edibles” and concentrated products, says Chuck Rifici, a cannabis entrepreneur who live in Ottawa.

Rifici’s Auxly Cannabis Group, like others in the industry, is preparing to produce a range of products while waiting to see what will be allowed.

The regulations will usher in Phase 2 of Canada’s legalization of recreational marijuana. Insiders speculate they may arrive this week. There will be public consultations before the final regulations are adopted.

Only dried weed and cannabis oil are now legal. The federal government has a deadline of October 2019 to regulate edible cannabis products as well as concentrates, which are used in everything from vape pens to lotions.

One has only to look at the U.S. states that have legalized pot — or the black market — to get a sense of the range of products that could contain cannabis.

Candy, cookies and chocolate. Mints with a micro-dose of THC, the chemical that creates the high, are increasingly popular. Tinctures and tea, lemonade and cola. Lotions, bath balms and patches. Vape pens, hash and shatter, a concentrated resin that is commonly heated with a small blow torch and inhaled.

Rifici says Auxly is preparing to manufacture edibles and other products at the cannabis production facility it owns in P.E.I. Auxly has a licensing deal with Dixie Brands, a Colorado company that was one of the first to develop cannabis drinks and now sells more than 100 products, from candies to bath salts.

Dixie Brands was an early developer of cannabis-infused drinks, chocolates and candy. Their products are sold in Colorado and some other U.S. states that have legalized recreational marijuana. Dixie has a licensing deal with Canadian company Auxly to manufacture Dixie products for the Canadian market at a production facility in P.E.I.

Health Canada will probably to take a more conservative approach to regulation than some American states, where cannabis lollipops, gummies and frozen treats called “icicles” are for sale.

An indication of what to expect is contained in the Cannabis Act, which prohibits the sale of any products whose “appearance, shape or other sensory attribute or function” could appeal to young people. The Act also bans any names or marketing that might appeal to youth, refer to a person, character or animal or promote the use of pot as a desirable lifestyle.

Hence the widespread assumption that gummy bears will not be allowed. But how about candy in another shape called a “lozenge” or chewable? That remains to be seen.

Ottawa lawyer Trina Fraser, a leading adviser to the cannabis industry, says she hopes Health Canada adopts general guidelines for broad product categories. It would be difficult to regulate products individually because there are potentially so many. “The sky’s the limit,” she notes.

And even the general prohibition against products appealing to youth is tricky to interpret, she notes.

“How do you define that? Because any goody would be appealing to kids. But I think we are probably talking about visual appearance, not taste.”

She expects cannabis chocolate bars, for instance, to be allowed if the government wants to effectively compete with the black market.

“How do you make that not appealing to kids? A chocolate bar looks like a chocolate bar.

“We have to make products that taste good and that consumers actually want to buy. And some of those products, if kids actually saw them unwrapped and sitting on the counter, they would probably think they would want to eat them. So there is an inherent conflict there, and we’ve got to figure out what the right balance is between protecting kids and letting the industry supply adult consumers with the types of products they actually want.”

Chocolate bars by Dixie Brands.

Packaging and labelling rules will help identify what’s a cannabis treat and keep it away from kids. The government requires dried weed and cannabis oils to be sold in child-resistant packages that are dominated by health warnings and a THC symbol.

Fraser said she expects the same rules will apply to new products, and that each serving of edible cannabis will also have to be clearly identified.

Rifici predicts that edible cannabis products won’t initially capture a large share of the market.

He pulls a small device out of his pocket. It’s a prototype of a vape pen made by Feather that is now sold in the U.S. Feather is owned by Canadian company  Nesta Holding, of which Rifici is the CEO.

The Feather vape pen. Source: website feather.com

Rifici is betting that vape pens, which contain concentrated cannabis oil, will be allowed, and they will be popular. All the cannabis companies are “looking at their pen strategies,” he says.

The pens come in a variety of formats. Some are disposable, others have refillable cartridges. They have advantages over smoking a joint: they emit a cloud of vapour rather than smelly smoke and aren’t as harmful to the lungs because there’s no combustion.

“I think cannabis is best inhaled,” says Rifici. The effects are immediate, and more easily controlled than with edible products.

“It’s very hard to have a bad experience with a pen.”

It’s easier to over-consume edible cannabis products. It depends on the person and the product, but edible products can take an hour or two before the buzz hits and up to six hours before it leaves.

Novice users might take a bite of a cannabis cookie, feel nothing, and keep eating.

The Dixie products come with an “activation time” guide that gives an estimate of how long it might take to start feeling high. The citrus blast gummy, for example, (a candy that “will have you feeling great in no time!” promises the website) has an activation time of 45 minutes, although there is also a disclaimer that intoxicating effects “may be delayed by two or more hours.”

Incredibles, an American brand known for its cannabis chocolate bars, offers this advice on its website: “Wait two hours and then enjoy.”

Companies are also developing cannabis drinks. Constellation Brands, the huge American beer, wine and liquor company, has invested $5 billion Cdn into Smiths Falls-based Canopy Growth Corp. for a joint venture to develop beverages.

Gatineau cannabis grower Hexo Corp. has a partnership with Molson Coors Canada.

But Rifici and some others in the industry say they don’t expect cannabis drinks to become mainstream until their effects more resemble alcohol.

“(Companies) are chasing this kind of Holy Grail of trying to mirror the effect of cannabis to alcohol, since that’s something we can all identify with,” says Chuck Smith, the CEO of Dixie Brands. “You have a drink, a glass of wine or a cocktail, we pretty much know what that is going to do to us and how long it’s going to take.

“People understand beverages, both consuming them and distributing them.”

Another Canadian company, Sproutly, says it has solved the problem with new technology that extracts cannabis molecules that are water-soluble. That allows the cannabis to go directly into the bloodstream, so the effects are felt more quickly and dissipate sooner, says CEO Keith Dolo.

“Who wants to drink a beverage in a social setting when they don’t know if the effects will last four, five or six hours?” he says. He says Sproutly’s invention will allow the creation of cannabis drinks that produce effects in five minutes and take less than 90 minutes to wear off, which is comparable to smoking and vaping.

Sproutly is now negotiating with beverage companies to create the drinks.

Smith says Dixie is developing something similar. However, he also injects a note of caution into the wild rush among companies to dream up cannabis products.

“At some point, normal, rational thinking will take place,” he says, and companies will realize that “every single thing we use on a daily basis doesn’t need to have cannabis in it, or CBD in it.” (CBD is the non-psychoactive component of cannabis that has pain relief and anti-inflammatory qualities.)

“I’m probably going to get grief for this, but I don’t understand why people would put cannabis say, in coffee,” he says.

“When you look at the size of the coffee market, and you wonder, what is the predominant use of coffee today? It’s generally for people who get up in the morning, they have a cup of coffee and they go to work. Is that a good thing for us to promote, that people are going to get up and have a cannabis-infused coffee and go to work? That doesn’t make sense to me.

…”I don’t think people are waking up and wanting to get high and go into work.”

Cannabis coffee may be a moot point in Canada, though. The Cannabis Act prohibits mixing cannabis with nicotine, alcohol or caffeine — unless the regulations decree otherwise.

jmiller@postmedia.com

twitter.com/JacquieAMiller

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The co-CEO of cannabis company Canopy Growth Corp. in Smiths Falls says he’s looking forward to pouring guests a Tweed and tonic.

Bruce Linton was in an ebullient mood on Thursday after Health Canada announced proposed rules that would allow Canadians to buy a wide range of cannabis products, including edibles and drinks.

Canopy is now building a 197,000-square-foot bottling plant next to the former chocolate factory that houses its Tweed marijuana grow-op.

Canopy has partnered with huge U.S. beer, wine and spirits company Constellation Brands to develop cannabis drinks. The draft regulations give a boost to those plans.

The regulations usher in the second wave of Canada’s legalization of recreational marijuana. Only dried weed and oils are legal now, but the regulations cover a flood of new products, from vape pens to lotions.

The regulations don’t list specific products, but offer guidelines. Nothing can appeal to kids. The amount of THC, the psychoactive component that causes the high, will be limited.

Some of the cannabis-infused produced produced by Dixie Brands, a Colorado-based company that was an early developer of cannabis-infused drinks, chocolates and candy.

For example, each package of a cannabis edible or drink container could contain 10 mg of THC, which is considered one serving size in some American jurisdictions that have legalized pot. Drinks could not contain added vitamins, minerals or alcohol.

Linton said he was pleased the draft regulations allow the categories of products now sold in the black market.

“They (the government) are doing what they said they would do. You can’t squeeze out the illicit and the illegal producers if you don’t have generally matched categories, then let (legal) companies create superior products.

“We have all the categories and the capacity to make superior products across all of them. So that means it’s a good day to operate our kind of business and probably a countdown for a lot of people in the other (illegal) ones.”

Canopy plans to make products in all the categories allowed, said Linton.

“Chewables, inhalables, vape pens, topicals … .”

A woman sniffs a sample of cannabis.

Canopy, which is the world’s largest cannabis producer, has been researching and developing beverages and other products for more than three years.

Linton is optimistic about the appeal of beverages, because that’s a form of intoxicant people are familiar with.

The regulations propose that no alcohol could be added to cannabis drinks, nor could they be associated with alcohol brands.

“You can’t make de-alcoholized beer, call it beer and power it with THC,” said Linton. “We’re fine with that because we look forward to preparing you a Tweed and tonic, which is an entirely new category of a clear, low- or no-calorie beverage.

Cannabis edibles are manufactured at a plant operated by Dixie Brands in Colorado.

“It will be a cannabis drink. Don’t buy a liquor drink, buy ours. Or buy them on different days and compare the products. This is an entirely new product.”

What about cannabis candies and cookies, which are big sellers in U.S. states where pot is legal and are also sold by the Canadian black market?

Canopy has a deal with Almonte gourmet chocolate maker Hummingbird to create cannabis-infused treats.

Linton is cagey about plans for other products because the industry is fiercely competitive.

But he expects Health Canada to take a conservative approach to interpreting what might be appealing to kids.

“I suspect the regulators will keep it a little careful, rather than let it get out of hand.”

Some of the cannabis chocolate bars produced by Dixie Brands, a Colorado-based company that has a licensing deal with Canadian company Auxly, to manufacture Dixie products for the Canadian market.All the products would be sold in plain packages featuring a THC symbol and health warning labels. The same packaging rules apply to the dried weed and oils that went on sale Oct. 17 when Canada legalized recreational marijuana.

The regulations covering the new products must be in place by October 2019.

Health Canada is conducting a two-month online public consultation on the draft regulations, which will be published in the Canada Gazette on Dec. 22 or can be obtained by emailing cannabis@canada.ca.

The draft regulations: highlights

• The regulations cover edible cannabis products, such as food and drinks; cannabis concentrates, such as the liquid used in vape pens; and topical products such as creams;

• The amount of THC, the compound with psycho-active effects, would be limited in all those products. For instance, for edibles and drinks it would be 10 mg per package or container, which represents roughly one serving size;

• Cannabis drinks could not contain added alcohol, vitamins or minerals;

• Cannabis edibles must be “shelf-stable,” which means they don’t require refrigeration;

• Products cannot be appealing to children;

• Cannabis extracts, such as the liquid used in vape pens, cannot have added sugars, colours or sweeteners, nicotine or caffeine;

• Products must contain a list of ingredients;

• Products must be packaged  in child-resistant, plain packages with health warnings and a THC symbol;

• And products cannot have any elements that associate them with alcohol brands.

jmiller@postmedia.com

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The young woman received two emails from the University of Ottawa Health Services clinic last winter and spring, saying her doctor was absent due to “unforeseen circumstances,” and then advising that he would not be returning.

“I was angry,” the woman said. What the messages failed to mention was that Dr. Vincent Nadon had been banned from practising at Health Services clinics after being charged with sexual assault and voyeurism.

The woman was painfully aware of that because she was one of his victims. She had read a media report about the charges against Nadon and came forward to tell police how he had groped her during a doctor’s visit.

“For me, (the clinic’s email) was like a fake email. I was like, ‘Thanks, so you are not telling me what is going on,'” said the woman, whose name is shielded by a court publication ban. “For the persons involved in the process, you feel like you are invisible.”

The woman is one of two patients who told this newspaper they wish the University of Ottawa Health Services and the school itself had done more to help Nadon’s victims by providing prompt information about the charges against him and offering counselling and support.

“It’s not their job to investigate, I know,” said the woman. “But in terms of supporting me through the process, they were absent.”

The other woman, former student Ellina Rabbat, is the lead claimant in a proposed class-action lawsuit against Nadon and the university.

The lawsuit alleges the university is “vicariously liable” for Nadon’s actions and the injuries and damages suffered by his victims. Rabbat’s lawyer says she plans to add the University of Ottawa Health Services as a defendant in the lawsuit. The allegations in the civil suit have not been proven in court, and the University of Ottawa has not yet filed a defence.

Nadon was first charged in January after a patient noticed he was recording her with an iPhone hidden in a cupboard during a pap test examination. Police said they feared there were more victims. As other patients came forward, the charges against Nadon piled up.

Both women interviewed by this newspaper said it wasn’t until early May that Health Services sent them an email explaining that Nadon had been charged and providing a phone number to contact police.

At that point, the doctor stood accused of sexual assault and voyeurism in connection with 51 patients over a span of 28 years.

The May 4 email from Health Services emphasized that Nadon was “no longer connected in any way to our organization.”

“There is no higher priority than the safety, confidence and privacy of our patients,” said the email.

Health Services sent 2,235 emails or letters to Nadon’s former patients in May, as well as 51,500 emails to others who weren’t his direct patients but may have seen him in various contexts, according to executive director Christopher Fisher.

Nadon is in prison now, serving eight years after pleading guilty earlier this month to voyeurism and sexual assault involving 49 women.

This newspaper asked Fisher for an interview on the topic of what lessons his agency has learned and what, if anything, it might do differently.

Fisher referred us to a statement on the Health Services website, while saying he had “nothing further to add, so I respectfully decline your invitation to an interview.” The statement says Nadon’s guilty plea and sentence were “important steps in the process of healing for all those involved.

“The University of Ottawa Health Services is thankful to the brave victims who stepped forward to tell their stories and to the Ottawa Police Service for their diligent investigation. We are also proud of our staff and providers who have dedicated themselves to our patients’ well-being throughout this very difficult time.

“As always, UOHS will continue to maintain as our greatest priority the delivery of high quality health care to all of our patients in a safe and welcoming environment.”

The University of Ottawa says it does not control the University of Ottawa Health Services, which has a contract with the school but is independently owned and managed.

The two women who spoke to this newspaper said they believe both organizations could have done more to help the victims.

Ellina Rabbat, a former University of Ottawa student, is the first claimant in a class action civil lawsuit against Dr. Vincent Nadon, who was found guilty of multiple counts of voyeurism and sexual assault against his patients at the University of Ottawa Health Clinic.

Rabbat said she was puzzled when she received the first email from Health Services in January, the day after police charged Nadon.

“In the wake of very serious charges filed against one of our family physicians,” said the email, “we are taking all measures to fulfill our professional and legal obligations while ensuring that our patients, staff and providers are supported at this difficult time and that the public is appropriately informed.”

“I thought, ‘This is weird, I hope it isn’t my doctor.'”

When Rabbat Googled Nadon’s name and discovered he had been charged with voyeurism and sexual assault, she said she was horrified.

“My stomach just dropped. I felt sick. You’re in shock.”

She thought back to her visit with Nadon for her first pap test.

Nadon remained in the examination room while she undressed and put her clothes back on after the exam, she said. He did not offer her a gown, or draping over her legs during the exam, which was conducted while she was naked from the waist down, wearing only a bra.

Nadon made an inappropriate joke about the speculum that was inserted into her vagina during the exam, she said.

Rabbat said she felt embarrassed and uncomfortable during the exam, but reassured herself that this must be normal procedure for a pap test. “I trusted him fully.”

After reading about the charges against Nadon, she called the police to report that she believed she was a victim. The police called her in to provide a statement.

The police officer told her they would let her know if they found any images of her on video, but some of the evidence had been destroyed, said Rabbat. Shortly before they arrested him, police observed Nadon dumping a garbage bag into a trash bin at a Chelsea, Que. grocery store that contained a damaged computer hard drive. No data was recovered from it.

Videos police found on a computer during a search of Nadon’s home in Chelsea provided evidence for multiple charges of voyeurism and sexual assault. Nadon groped the breasts of patients and inserted his finger into their vaginas without using gloves, according to the agreed statement of facts in court.

Rabbat said she never heard back from police after she gave a statement. Her complaint was not included among those that formed the basis for the criminal case.

Health Services should have provided her with information about the charges against Nadon immediately, she said. The first four emails she received from Health Services failed to even “have the courtesy of providing me the phone number of the police.”

After the initial email on Jan. 20 about serious charges against an unspecified doctor, she received an email on Jan. 22 notifying her that Dr. Nadon was out of the office for an indeterminate amount of time for “unforeseen circumstances”; another on April 3 saying he would not be returning and another doctor was filling in; and one on April 30 saying a new doctor would assume care of his patients.

“Are you trying to minimize the situation or just cover yourself, not trying to help me tell my story and come forward?” Rabbat said. “I felt like they didn’t want me to speak out.”

Rabbat also suggested Health Services should have offered counselling to Nadon’s patients.

“The Health Services does have psychologists and psychiatrists. I definitely think that should have been offered, or mentioned at least. Isn’t trauma important enough to deal with or to address? I’m confused about what their role would be in terms of my health care. What is their responsibility? As a patient you expect to be taken care of by the doctor, and when that doesn’t happen, what do you do?”

Rabbat also said the University of Ottawa should have done more. She assumed that Health Services was part of the university and didn’t realize it is independently operated. Health Services carries the university name and logo, uses the university email address, is listed on the university website, has offices on campus and serves students.

“It’s irresponsible to give them all those things, then tell them they can do what they want, and none of it is your responsibility.

“You can’t just blindly give out the right to your logo and to your students and then tell them they can do what they want and you aren’t monitoring them and that you are not going to intervene and get involved.”

The university, in a statement, said that Health Services is an “independent service provider contracted to deliver health services to uOttawa students and employees. It also provides health services to people in the community.”

Immediately after the first charges were laid against Nadon in January, the university contacted Health Services to make sure he was suspended from practising at all Health Services clinics, said the statement.

“The safety and security of our students, faculty and support staff is of the utmost importance to the University of Ottawa.”

Rabbat said she has been in “fight mode” for most of this year. “Obviously, I’m super traumatized. I feel extremely violated and so sick to my stomach. It’s really, really, disgusting.

“But I’m more focused now on just getting justice. Once I have that, I can focus on how to get over it in a healthy way.”

Her experience with Nadon left her less likely to trust people, especially doctors, she said. “It’s even hard for me now to find a therapist I can trust. I don’t know if I can trust people that I don’t know.”

The other woman said she found out about the charges against Nadon from a friend who read a news story.

That prompted the woman to contact police about her own experience with Nadon.

She had gone to him for treatment of an ailment. During the visit, he suddenly groped her breast.

“It just happened, he touched me. I remember my first reaction was not in my mind, it was in my body. I just contracted everything. It went very fast … I remember his face, he was talking and talking, then during (the groping) it was silence, then he was talking again.

“I was a little bit dizzy, like, ‘What just happened?’ I wanted to ask him, ‘What just happened?’ Then he was talking, talking, telling me he will give me a prescription, he takes one or two minutes. Then I said, ‘OK, I will not confront him now.’ I left, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s just disgusting, what happened?'”

She took a shower, and phoned a friend. The woman said she phoned Health Services the next day but gave up after being put on hold. She searched the university website but didn’t immediately see what service to contact.

She just wanted to speak to someone, perhaps warn them, without going to police, she explained.

“I was afraid of being involved in the whole formal process where I would have to say, to explain, where I would be confronted to him directly …

“So I kind of let it go. And I feel guilty about this because I guess I could have done more.”

She also questioned herself about the groping.

“I felt, oh, maybe it’s me, provoking something? Maybe there is something in me that provokes that sort of behaviour?

“In my culture I have this image of oh, for women, sometimes this happens and it’s not such a big deal. But because I went to the police and they took it seriously, I know it’s a big deal and I shouldn’t be ashamed.”

Once she heard about the charges against Nadon, the woman decided to call police.

“If you know there are other victims, you feel maybe, OK, I can say what has happened to me. But if you have to go through it alone, in the police station, it can be very intimidating.”

She has high praise for the way police handled her complaint.

“When I came to the police station, they really took it seriously. I didn’t feel I had to justify. They were very supportive.”

Her complaint was the basis for one of the sexual assault charges that Nadon pleaded guilty to.

Her suggestion? Health Services could have put someone in charge of contacting Nadon’s patients. Personally.

“You can call that person and talk, and figure out what to do, maybe you go to the police or not, but it’s available … You can talk and it’s anonymous and doesn’t trigger a whole process.”

jmiller@postmedia.com

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