SURGEON WHO HUNG NOOSE ON DOOR FOUND GUILTY

A surgeon in northwestern Alberta has been found guilty of unprofessional conduct for hanging a rope in the shape of a noose on an operating room door. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta says that dr. Wynand Wessels acted with the intention of sending a message that could be interpreted as “intimidating or threatening.” But the decision by a college hearing tribunal says there was not enough evidence to show Wessels was motivated by racism. The rope was put up on a door leading to an operating room in Grande Prairie, Alta., on June 24, 2016. A hearing into the incident was told Dr. Wessels grew up in South Africa during Apartheid and liked making knots. Wessels suggested the gesture was about team-building and was not directed at any person, but the decision says it was seen as violent and racist by many colleagues. The college says sanctions will be determined 29% at a later hearing.