Winnipeg chiropractor charged with 8 counts of voyeurism

A Winnipeg chiropractor accused of filming patients with cameras disguised as sprinkler heads was recently charged with eight counts of voyeurism, according to court documents. 

The Winnipeg Police Service's year-long investigation included executing a search warrant at Dr. Robert Stitt's Portage Avenue office after the Manitoba Chiropractors Association alerted them to the presence of concealed cameras, according to a court-filed application.  

On Thursday, the Manitoba Chiropractors Association (MCA) confirmed for the first time that Stitt's licence was suspended in January 2024 and will remain that way until the matter is dealt with in court.

"We can confirm that as soon as the MCA became aware of the allegations, immediate steps were taken to ensure public safety," Dana Forster, executive director of the Manitoba Chiropractors Association, said in an email.

Forster said the association has and will continue to fully cooperate with the Winnipeg police. 

Search warrant documents obtained by CBC News show the chiropractors' association notified authorities about the hidden cameras after one of its investigators went to Stitt's office in the course of looking into a separate complaint.

Stitt showed the investigator video recordings that he claimed would "exonerate himself of any wrongdoing," according to the court documents. 

"While browsing the video files on the hard drive, [the investigator] observed there to be upwards of three different and unknown females disrobing. One of the females was facing the camera with her breasts exposed," said the affidavit.

In December, Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said said they are working with the government's legal teams and experts in order to take "swift action" to ensure that there's more transparency when chiropractors are disciplined for wrongdoing.

As it stands, chiropractors are not subject to the Regulated Health Professions Act, which requires findings of disciplinary proceedings be made public, including the nature of what happened and sanctions, such as the suspension or revocation of the professional's licence. 

On Thursday, the minister said the health department is working on possible amendments to the Chiropractic Act while it continues to work to move chiropractors under the Regulated Health Professions Act. 

"We are actively doing the work of, evaluating what we can do with that legislation to further protect the public and to improve transparency and accountability," Asagwara said in an interview with CBC News. 

Asagwara did not give specifics of what those changes may entail, saying the department is still going through all of the legislative options. 

Manitoba Health covers a maximum of seven chiropractor visits per calendar year, to a maximum of between $10-$11 per adjustment as of December 2024, the department's website said. In the past five fiscal years, the Health Department spent $35 million on chiropractic care.