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Goodwin, David Michael

CPSO#: 27670

MEMBER STATUS
Expired: Resigned from membership as of 01 Jun 2018
CURRENT OR PAST CPSO REGISTRATION CLASS
None as of 06 Aug 1975

Summary

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Former Name: No Former Name

Gender: Male

Languages Spoken: English

Education: Queen's University Belfast School of Med, 1970

Practice Information

Primary Location of Practice
Practice Address Not Available

Professional Corporation Information


Corporation Name: Dr. Michael Goodwin Medicine Professional Corporation
Certificate of Authorization Status: Inactive: Mar 28 2018
 

Medical Records Location

Instructions/Address:
c/o Dr. M. Sidhu
8279 Lundy's Lane
Niagara Falls ON  L2H 1H5
Date Received: 10 May 2018

Specialties

Specialty Issued On Type
No Speciality Reported

Registration History

Action Issue Date
First certificate of registration issued: Independent Practice Certificate Effective: 06 Aug 1975
Expired: Resigned from membership. Expiry: 01 Jun 2018

Previous Hearings

Committee: Discipline
Decision Date: 19 Jul 2018
Summary:

On July, 2018, the Discipline Committee found that Dr. David Michael Goodwin committed an act of professional misconduct, in that he has engaged in an act or omission relevant to the practice of medicine that, having regard to all the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional.

Dr. Goodwin is a physician who received his certificate of registration authorizing independent practice in Ontario in 1975. Dr. Goodwin's certificate of registration with the College expired on May 31, 2018. Dr. Goodwin practiced family medicine in Ontario until November 2015. He also acted as the Medical Director of a long-term care facility in Ontario. Dr. Goodwin resigned from this role effective January 1, 2018. At the time of the incidents described below, Dr. Goodwin was a member of the Ontario Medical Association ("OMA"), in addition to being a Council member of the OMA and a member of the Executive of the OMA's Section on General and Family Practice ("SGFP").

The OMA is the association that represents the political and economic interests of physicians in Ontario. It isthe exclusive representative of Ontario physicians in negotiations with the Province of Ontario.

At the relevant times, Dr. Virginia Walley was President of the OMA and the Minister of Health for Ontario was Dr. Eric Hoskins. On July 11, 2016, the OMA and the Ontario government reached a tentative agreement dealing with government funding for physician services and changes to the physician fee schedule, among other issues ("tPSA"). The tPSA was endorsed by the OMA's Board, including by Dr. Walley. The OMA promoted the agreement in the weeks leading up to a General Meeting, which took place on August 14, 2016. In the lead-up to the General Meeting, the OMA Board promoted the agreement as providing "stability" and "predictability".

On August 14, 2016, the OMA membership voted to reject the tPSA.

On July 29, 2016, Dr. Goodwin posted a letter to "Virginia" signed by "Santa" on a physician-only forum which requires registration and a password to access and which is accessible to the approximately 13,000 OMA members who practice general or family medicine. Dr. Goodwin also emailed the letter to approximately 20 colleagues in the Executive of the SGFP and copied it to an editor at the Medical Post. In addition, Dr. Goodwin forwarded the letter directly to Dr. Walley's personal email address.

The letter signed by "Santa" was written by Dr. Goodwin. It read, in part:
Dear Virginia Thank you for writing me with your existential question.....So yes, Virginia, you can have STABILITY… if you just bend a little further forward and get those hands firmly on the ground. You can also have PREDICTABILITY, but you'll have to keep letting that nice Eric have his way with you. And yes, Virginia, it is ok to vote yes. But it's also ok to vote no.

Yours in perpetuity
Santa

Dr. Goodwin's email to Dr. Walley, which included the forwarded letter, read:

V Thought I should share this with you....
Mike
 
After the letter was posted to the SGFP online forum, the Chair of the SGFP Executive wrote to Dr. Goodwin stating, "There have been some serious concerns brought forward regarding your post. Would appreciate if you can refrain from further private distribution of this message." 
 
Dr. Goodwin responded, stating:

I'm sorry that you feel that satire is unacceptable at sgfp.net, and that you saw fit to order [D.B.] to remove my post from the website. Unfortunately I had already copied the message to Dr. Walley at her personal email and to [R.C.] Editor at the Medical Post, so any attempt at censorship will likely only highlight the issue [... ]

On the same day, another physician on the SGFP Executive wrote to Dr. Goodwin stating:

"I am surprised and dismayed by the tone of emails from members of this exec [...] I think it would be valuable for all of us to step back and take a moment to reflect: How would I feel if I was on the receiving end of one of these emails? What am I upset/angry about? Who am I upset/angry at?"

Dr. Goodwin responded, copying the SGFP Executive, stating:

"Just for the record, I consider Dr. Walley a friend [...] I doubt she would be upset by my now censored post, though she would certainly see the point of the satire […]
 
It is Dr. Goodwin's position that his email of July 29, 2016 was modeled on an 1897 editorial in the New York Sun known as "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus".

Dr. Goodwin's certificate of registration with the College expired on May 31, 2018. Dr. Goodwin has advised the College that he does not intend to renew his certificate of registration.

Disposition

On July 19, 2018, the Committee ordered and directed that:
- the Registrar suspend Dr. Goodwin' s certificate of registration for a period of one (1) month, commencing at 12:01 a.m. on July 20, 2018.
- the Registrar impose the following as a term, condition and limitation on Dr. Goodwin's certificate of registration:
- Dr. Goodwin will successfully complete the PROBE course in ethics and professionalism by obtaining an unconditional pass, at his own expense, or any alternate course in ethics and professionalism approved by the College, by January 31, 2019. Dr. Goodwin will agree to abide by any recommendations of the PROBE program and provide proof of completion
to the College.
- Dr. Goodwin appear before the panel to be reprimanded.
- Dr. Goodwin pay to the College its costs of this proceeding in the amount of $10,180 within thirty (30) days from the date of this Order.
 
 


Decision: Download Full Decision (PDF)
Hearing Date(s): July 19, 2018

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