An advocate for New Brunswickers suffering from unexplained neurological symptoms says a letter obtained by CBC News suggests Health Minister Dr. John Dornan wasn't truthful about his role in the removal of a Moncton neurologist from his post at the clinic treating many of the patients.
The letter dated July 4, 2022, shows it was Dornan — then CEO of the Horizon Health Network — who informed Dr. Alier Marrero his participation in the Moncton Interdisciplinary Neurodegenerative Diseases Clinic would soon cease.
"Despite our repeated attempts to inform you of our expectations and the deficiencies in your performance, you have not demonstrated a sustained ability to meet our expectations," Dornan wrote.
Dornan is now overseeing Premier Susan Holt's pre-election pledge as Opposition leader to launch a transparent scientific investigation into the "mystery illness" that Marrero says is making more than 500 people in New Brunswick and six other provinces sick.
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Knowing now that Dornan was behind Marrero's removal "raises a lot of concerns" about whether he can lead an objective investigation, Quigley Cormier said.
"We're calling on Premier Holt to step in and to announce publicly that Public Health Agency of Canada is going to take the scientific lead on this because there's a conflict of interest with members around the table that we can't be satisfied with an investigation that is led by them," she said, referring to Dornan and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Yves Léger.
It was early 2021 when the public learned that Public Health was monitoring more than 40 New Brunswick patients with symptoms similar to those of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare and fatal brain disease. The first case dated back to 2015, according to an internal memo.
Marrero, who sounded the alarm about a possible mystery disease, said at the time it was not considered genetic, based on preliminary data, and could be contracted from water, food or air.
"It most likely is a new disease," Dr. Jennifer Russell, then-chief medical officer of health, told reporters.
The former Higgs government launched an investigation into the cluster of 48 patients, aged 18 to 85, located primarily on the Acadian Peninsula and in the Moncton region. Quigley Cormier's stepdaughter Gabrielle Cormier, 23, was one of the youngest.
The province consulted experts from both levels of government, but within three months put meetings with federal experts and more than $5 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research on hold. Instead, it created its own oversight committee.
In February 2022, that committee concluded the cases, showing symptoms ranging from painful muscle spasms and hallucinations to memory loss and behavioural changes, did not have a common cause.
The committee found "potential alternative diagnoses" for 41 of the patients, including Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia, post-concussion syndrome and cancer, Russell said.
No details about why Marrero was removed are provided in Dornan's letter, but Health officials have said the neurologist "struggled to fulfil his legally required notification duties."
Under the Public Health Act, medical professionals must report notifiable diseases, including certain "unusual illnesses" to the department by filling out paperwork.
Marrero asked for help with the one-page notifiable diseases and events notification forms but alleges he was instead threatened with disciplinary action. The Health Department subsequently created enhanced surveillance forms, requiring additional information.
Meanwhile, Gabrielle's health, "like other patients' health, continues to decline," Quigley Cormier said. She said Gabrielle has rare antibodies affecting her vision, balance and central nervous system.
Most honest and transparent government ever. These are the same type of "professionals" who told me freon cant cause irregular heart rhythms or that they didn't need to test the air quality at arcas shop. Im only 1 person lmao what snowballs chance in hell did I ever have.
I can only imagine what they are hiding about covid vaccines and god knows what else.