The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, S ep te m be r 26 ,2 01 9 | 12 AMICA GEORGETOWNIS NOW OPEN AM ICA .CA /GEORGETOWN We are pleased to announce that Amica Georgetown, our newest senior lifestyles residence, is now open. From our graceful interiors to our premium amenities and personalized care services, you'll find exactly what you're looking for in a senior residence, even as your needs change. Please call to schedule a private tour 224 Maple Ave, Georgetown, 905-702-1555 A Georgetown physi- cian has been suspended for 14 months for showing photos of himself naked to patients and staff. Dr. Nigel Mark Phipps was found guilty last year by a five-member disci- pline panel at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario of sexually abus- ing 11 female patients by showing them the naked selfies. Phipps had admitted to the panel that he showed the patients and staff mem- bers an array of photos on his cellphone, but denied that it constituted sexual abuse. The photos included: one where Phipps is naked with his penis visible, one of Phipps' naked buttocks, one where he's naked from the groin up but where the genitals are not visible and a fourth showing him na- ked with a towel over his arm. The panel also found that Phipps had an erection during two of the patient encounters. Ontario law stipulates that certain acts of sexual abuse by health care pro- fessionals require that their licence be automati- cally revoked. While Phipps' conduct fell out- side the list of acts requir- ing mandatory revocation, the college still argued at his penalty hearing this year that his licence be re- voked. But the discipline panel sided with the doctor's law- yer who had requested a suspension between 14 to 18 months. Aside from the suspen- sion, which takes effect Oct. 1, Phipps must post credit in the amount of $176,660 to cover potential therapy costs for his pa- tients. Once he has served his suspension, he may not see any patient unless in the presence of another health-care professional. He must also continue to see a college-approved psy- chiatrist who must provide the college with regular re- ports. "It is the college's posi- tion that Dr. Phipps' con- duct towards his patients during medical appoint- ments is a breach of the high public trust granted to physicians and has caused harm to patients, to the public and to the pro- fession," the college told Torstar in a statement. "Although revocation was not mandatory in this case, we believe it was the appropriate penalty for a case involving both a breach of trust and sexual abuse of many patients of the type that is at issue in this case." Phipps' lawyer did not immediately return a re- quest for comment. Some of Phipps' pa- tients said in victim impact statements that they felt betrayed and no longer trusted medical profes- sionals. The panel heard from a number of witnesses at Phipps' penalty hearing, including his psychiatrist, and they concluded that he was going through a major depressive episode in 2014 when he started showing the naked selfies to pa- tients and staff. He was also struggling with alcohol and having marital diffi- culties, according to the panel's decision on penalty released this week. The panel also conclud- ed that Phipps was re- morseful for his actions and now has more insight into them. "The committee recog- nizes that societal views and tolerance of sexual abuse by physicians have changed," the panel wrote in their 63-page decision. "The committee views the lengthy suspension, reprimand, and practice restrictions as a very seri- ous penalty that properly reflects societal views and should maintain public confidence in the integrity of the profession and the college's ability to regulate the profession in the public interest." GEORGETOWN DOCTOR FOUND GUILTY OF SEX ABUSE KEEPS HIS LICENCE TO PRACTISE Torstar file photo NEWS JACQUES GALLANT jgallant@thestar.ca Dr. Nigel Mark Phipps has been suspended for 14 months for showing photos of himself naked to patients and staff.