Senior public health doctor charged with child sex offences released on bail after court appearance
The top doctor in B.C.’s Interior Health region, which spans from the Okanagan to the Kooteneys, was released on bail Wednesday morning, after a court appearance related to two alleged sex offences committed in Alberta.
Dr. Albert de Villiers, 52, is charged with sexual assault and sexual interference, which is a criminal charge that relates to a child under age 16.
Mounties in Grande Prairie, Alberta say the charges date back to the period between June 2018 and July 2020.
De Villiers worked as a public health official in Grande Prairie for some 16 years before he was hired as Interior Health’s chief medical health officer, based in Kelowna, in August 2020.
In that role, he has been the top public health official implementing policies and overseeing the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in the region.
“This particular case was not related to his employment,” Grande Prairie RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Shawn Graham told CTV News Vancouver.
Interior Health said De Villiers had been placed on leave, and other top public health officials would be taking over the position on an interim basis.
A spokesperson could not provide details on whether De Villiers had undergone a criminal background check or if he had been otherwise vetted as part of the hiring process.
Police arrested De Villiers in Kelowna on Tuesday, after investigating a report on May 28 of sexual offences against a young child, Mounties said.
De Villiers was released on a promise to appear in court, along with a number of conditions that include no contact with his alleged victim or the victim’s family, and avoiding public parks, swimming areas, community centres, schools, or playgrounds where children under 16 are present, with few exceptions.
He also must surrender his passport.
At the Kelowna home registered in his name, a woman who answered the door Wednesday told a reporter for “Kelowna Now” she had nothing to say about the charges.
In Victoria, Health Minister Adrian Dix called the charges against Interior Health's top doctor both serious and concerning.
“What I can say is that it won’t distract us at all,” Dix said, adding that vaccination efforts and support for those suffering from COVID-19 would continue at the “highest possible level.”
De Villiers next court appearance is scheduled for June 30 in Grande Prairie.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
'Ninja,' Twitch's biggest streamer, is diagnosed with skin cancer
American gamer and Twitch superstar, Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins, revealed he was diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Here's what Trudeau says the upcoming federal budget will offer renters
The federal government will create a new 'Canadian Renters' Bill of Rights,' which would require landlords to disclose their properties' rental price history to prospective tenants.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.