Ontario doctor allegedly murdered 89-year-old Quebec man in hospital, police say

An eastern Ontario doctor allegedly murdered an 89-year-old Quebec man in hospital last week, police said Monday, as they probed multiple suspicious deaths at the facility.

Ontario Provincial Police had said Friday that Dr. Brian Nadler was charged with first-degree murder but provided few other details.

On Monday, they identified Nadler’s alleged victim as Albert Poidinger of Point-Claire, Que., who died on March 25.

Police spokesman Bill Dickson said police were called to the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital that day. Once there, Dickson said Poidinger was pronounced dead.

Investigators were able to quickly gather evidence that allowed them to arrest Dr. Brian Nadler and charge him with first-degree murder, Dickson said.

“We are now looking at several other recent suspicious deaths at the hospital,” Dickson said, declining to specify how many deaths the force is examining.

“The investigation began last Thursday when we were called to the hospital, so it’s in the early stages.”

Nadler, 35, of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., remains in custody.

His lawyer, Alan Brass, declined on Friday to discuss the charge but said Nadler maintains his innocence.

The hospital did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. It had said Friday that it was co-operating with the Ontario Provincial Police probe.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario said it also plans to investigate.

Ontario’s College of Physicians’ registry indicates Nadler is a specialist in internal medicine who graduated from McGill University in 2010.

He previously practiced in Saskatchewan, where the province’s College of Physicians and Surgeons said he was charged with unprofessional conduct for allegedly using a profane term when referring to a female colleague following an argument in 2014.

He was also accused of altering a patient’s medical file without noting the date or time of the change.

Saskatchewan’s College of Physicians said the situation was resolved after Nadler agreed to take courses in professional ethics and medical record keeping.

Nadler also practised medicine in Nevada starting in 2018, according to the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners.

The board said he completed a yearlong fellowship in geriatrics at the University of Nevada, Reno, in September 2019.

It said he had previously trained as a neurological surgery intern in Alberta, where he also did his residency in internal medicine.

His certificate to practise medicine in Ontario was granted in February 2020, according to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.

Nadler is next scheduled to appear in court in L’Orignal, Ont., on April 6.