Patients injured, needed reversal of procedures after illegal injections from B.C. woman, doctors allege
CBC
A B.C. woman accused of offering illegal cosmetic injections at suspiciously low prices in questionable sanitary conditions has been the subject of several complaints from clients, along with doctors who've had to reverse her shoddy work, new court filings allege.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons has filed a petition in B.C. Supreme Court asking for a permanent injunction preventing Zaliah Marie Batchelor of Victoria from performing these procedures or calling herself a doctor.
"Ms. Batchelor's conduct places public health at grave risk," the Nov. 15 petition says, describing her behaviour as "reprehensible."
The college alleges that Batchelor has continued to advertise and provide these procedures, even after signing an undertaking promising she would stop.
Batchelor, who also uses the last name Spencer, or simply calls herself Zaliah Marie, has yet to file a response to the college's claims.
The websites and social media accounts Batchelor allegedly used to advertise her services have all been taken offline. CBC has reached out through her personal Facebook account to request a comment, but she has yet to respond.
The college has filed a thick booklet of evidence compiled during its investigation into Batchelor's business, including complaints from at least three doctors, two clients and the operators of a medical esthetics clinic in Victoria.
It includes allegations that Batchelor performed risky cosmetic procedures without gloves and with a dog in the room. Former clients and the doctors who've treated them have alleged the procedures left them with pouches under their eyes, skin folds, bumps on their lips and one eyebrow higher than the other.
One customer filed a complaint alleging Batchelor injected filler around her eyes and nose without her consent, and a doctor has suggested Batchelor may not be using legitimate products.
According to the petition, Batchelor has mainly operated out of her home in Victoria, using the business names Z Wellness Studio and Studio Zaliah, but has also provided injections in Courtenay and Campbell River, along the east coast of Vancouver Island.
She has allegedly performed injections of Botox, the fillers Juvéderm and Sculptra, as well as Belkyra, which is used to reduce double chins.
The college describes these substances as "extremely dangerous" if not administered by a qualified person, potentially causing anaphylaxis, blockages in blood vessels, blindness and skin necrosis.
In B.C., only doctors, dentists, some naturopaths and registered and licensed practical nurses are permitted to inject Botox and dermal fillers.
Affidavits filed by the college suggest that Batchelor has variously told clients she is a registered nurse, a nurse practitioner, or a student in naturopathy, massage, acupuncture or traditional Chinese medicine.
A proposal for a hydrogen-powered passenger rail connecting Calgary and Banff has been submitted to the federal government in the hopes of having it fast-tracked.
The P.E.I. Green Party is calling on government to release the fall fiscal update. The checkup on the province's finances is typically released sometime in October.
A main road in Inuvik, N.W.T., is closed and water is shut off for part of the town after a utilidor leak.
Immigration Minister Lena Diab sparred with her Conservative critic at a tense House of Commons committee meeting Thursday as the two disagreed on everything from immigration levels and deporting non-citizen criminals to what kind of salad they prefer.
A report by the City of Calgary presented to councillors says blanket rezoning has so far required only "minimal" upgrades to infrastructure.
Changes are coming to residential recycling in Toronto starting in the new year, two councillors announced on Thursday.
Before a bitumen pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia’s northwest coast can be built, there's another box that needs to be checked: a massive investment in carbon capture and storage in central Alberta.
Jeremy Tunraluk, president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI), is on leave from his position after he was charged with assault.
The head of Canada's Leaders' Debates Commission says the independent body should stop organizing post-debate news conferences and will make changes to how it decides what leaders to invite after this spring's leadership debate was surrounded by controversy.
The Alberta Health Services CEO who took over after a controversial firing in January is now himself off the job.
Standing inside her non-profit managed rental unit in central Windsor, Ont., Sue Pare points to a crack in her kitchen floor she can’t get fixed.
Five people were sent to hospital, including one person with life-threatening injuries, after a fire broke out at a fraternity house near Western University prompting a police investigation.
A rusting and derelict ship that’s been looming large over the waterfront in Springdale for years will soon be removed and disposed of by the federal government.