Now-former hospital CEO and Ontario COVID-19 advisory board member Dr. Tom Stewart is one of the latest Canadian officials to lose positions after pursuing unnecessary travel in the Caribbean.
Stewart has left his role as the CEO and president of St. Joseph’s Health System, according to a memo issued Thursday evening by the hospital system’s board of directors.
This comes one day after he was booted as CEO of Niagara Health.
It was confirmed this Tuesday that Stewart had traveled on vacation to the Dominican Republic despite Ontario's government advising against all unessential travel.
Stewart publicly apologized for his actions in a statement released by St. Joseph’s Health System, acknowledging that “everyone should be avoiding non-essential travel now, including me."
“As a health system leader, my actions in no way reflect the tireless dedication and commitment of the staff at St. Joseph’s Health System, who continue to live the legacy of our organization every day," the statement continues.
Stewart not only served as CEO of multiple healthcare networks but was also a member of a number of health advisory boards. He stepped down from his positions in the Health Coordination Table, the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, and the LTC Incident Management System Table.
Helen Angus, Ontario’s Deputy Minister of Health, accepted Stewart's resignation from the organizations late Tuesday in a release from the ministry.
Stewart is just the latest out of a handful of Canadian politicians and health officials who have been criticized for taking personal travelling trips while governments continue to advise against all non-essential travel outside of Canada.
Former Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips was also recently publicly chided and resigned from his position after being caught travelling to St. Barts and attempting to hide it. Phillips continues to serve as an Ajax MPP.
Canadian governments continue to ask residents to stay home except for essential reasons as COVID-19 cases keep rising.
