The Justice Centre has declared a victory after the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) withdrew charges of professional misconduct against Dr. Michal Princ. The charges were related to Princ granting COVID-19 vaccine exemptions to his patients. The announcement comes just before the scheduled five-day disciplinary hearing set to commence on March 8 2024.Princ, a family medicine physician in Devon AB with 49 years of experience, faced accusations of failing to follow vaccine exemption requirements imposed by the CPSA, Alberta Health Services and Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health. However, the CPSA dropped the charges on January 10, citing the likely invalidity of the relevant health order. This order had been challenged and invalidated in the 2023 Alberta Court of King’s Bench ruling in Ingram v. Alberta.Ingram v. Alberta was one of the first constitutional challenges to lockdown measures initiated in Canada and the Justice Centre provided legal representation for the case. The court's ruling questioned the validity of health orders issued by the provincial cabinet rather than the Chief Medical Officer of Health, leading to legislative amendments for democratic accountability in public health decisions.The charges against Princ were withdrawn based on the recognition that the health order he was accused of violating was likely invalid following the court's ruling in Ingram v. Alberta. The Justice Centre asserted the CPSA violated the ethical principle of informed and voluntary consent for medical treatment by imposing strict and inflexible guidance on doctors in relation to vaccine exemptions.The Justice Centre emphasized the CPSA's imposition of mandatory guidance resulted in some Albertans feeling pressured, coerced or manipulated into receiving COVID-19 vaccines. Individuals faced potential consequences such as job loss, university expulsion, or limitations on participation in sports and recreation for refusing the vaccine.
