Former Manitoba doctor facing sex assault charges now being sued by former patients

A former Manitoba doctor already facing criminal charges alleging he sexually assaulted patients is now being sued by a group of women who say their complaints about similar incidents weren't handled properly.

A former Manitoba doctor already facing criminal charges alleging he sexually assaulted patients is now being sued by a group of women who say their complaints about similar incidents weren't handled properly.

Arcel Bissonnette is accused of assaulting female patients when he worked in Ste. Anne, a town southeast of Winnipeg, from 2004 to 2017.

A statement of claim filed in Manitoba's Court of King's Bench on May 29 alleges Bissonnette sexually assaulted and battered five women who were his patients at a clinic and hospital in the community. None of the allegations have been proven in court.

In one of the alleged incidents, a patient said she immediately reported what happened to the clinic's director — but he delayed addressing it with Bissonnette for months. In another, Bissonnette allegedly sexually assaulted a 16-year-old patient who made an appointment to ask about starting birth control, the statement of claim said.

"The plaintiffs state that the clinic and/or health authority knew, or ought to have known, that Dr. Bissonnette was a danger to patients in his care," the filing said. The lawsuit said the women didn't bring the claim against Bissonnette sooner "given the fear, embarrassment and trauma that they suffered."

The lawsuit is seeking general and punitive damages, alleging the former physician's conduct was "intentional and done with the knowledge that it would cause each of the plaintiffs, one of whom was a minor at the time, humiliation, indignity and physical, emotional and mental distress and injury."

The statement of claim said the women involved will all require therapy and suffer from effects including post-traumatic stress, alcohol addiction, suicidal thoughts and negative impacts on family and social relationships.

The lawsuit also named Shared Health and Southern Health as defendants. Both declined to comment via email on Tuesday, while Shared Health also noted it did not exist as an organization until 2019. Bissonnette's counsel could not be reached.