Fired N.B. health network CEO awarded record-breaking $2M in unjust dismissal case
Global News
Dr. John Dornan says he was made a 'political scapegoat' after his firing in July 2022 following the death of a patient in a Fredericton emergency department.
Dr. John Dornan, the former CEO of Horizon Health Network in New Brunswick, has been awarded more than $2 million in compensation, plus pension contributions and benefits, after he was fired just a few months into his five-year mandate.
According to Dornan’s lawyers, this is the largest employment compensation award in New Brunswick’s history. It also includes $200,000 in aggravated damages.
Premier Blaine Higgs announced Dornan’s firing in July 2022, following the death of a patient in an emergency department waiting room in Fredericton.
Higgs also shuffled out the health minister and wiped the boards of both Horizon and Vitalité health networks.
In a release, Dornan said he was a “political scapegoat.”
“Nobody should have their career and livelihood taken away like that,” he said.
“I’ve had a cloud hanging over my head. I hope this decision goes some way towards restoring my reputation and allowing me to resume my career.”
In the release, Kelly VanBuskirk, Dornan’s lawyer in New Brunswick, said the award accurately reflected the losses suffered by Dornan, who had spent more than 30 years building his reputation as a physician and health-care executive.
