A government investigation into the circumstances that led to two Sault men being swapped at birth 71 years ago seems unlikely, based on responses by Health Canada and Ontario’s Ministry of Health.
As SooToday reported last week, two local men have launched an $8-million lawsuit against Sault Area Hospital and an unnamed nurse, alleging they were switched at birth in March 1952 at the former General Hospital site on Queen Street.
In their statement of claim, Howard Dupuis and Leslie Gagnon say DNA testing conducted in 2021 confirmed that each went home from the hospital with the wrong family.
Asked if he thinks the incident warrants a government investigation, Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said his thoughts are with the men and their families featured in last week’s article.
“The circumstances described in the media coverage deserves answers to find out how something of this nature could happen and I hope a thorough investigation is conducted to get to the bottom of it,” said Shoemaker.
Investigations have occurred after some recent cases of people being switched at birth were uncovered through DNA analysis. Two reports were prepared in 2017 — one by the federal government and another by RCMP — into the circumstances that led to two sets of Manitoba men being swapped at birth in 1975 at what was then called the Norway House Indian Hospital.
The federal government offered a financial settlement and apologized to the four men at the conclusion of the investigation.
Sault MP Terry Sheehan told SooToday that while he sympathizes with the two local men who say they were swapped at birth, he pointed out that provinces and territories, not the federal government, have jurisdiction over the administration and delivery of health care services at most hospitals.
“The Norway House incident in Manitoba mentioned in your earlier story was investigated by Health Canada because it was an Indigenous hospital under federal jurisdiction,” Sheehan said. “This is not the case with these men in this incident.”
A spokesperson for Health Canada offered a similar response.
“In Canada, provinces and territories have primary jurisdiction over the administration and delivery of health care services. This includes the provision of hospital care in their jurisdictions,” said the spokesperson. “For further comment or more information on hospital management, the provincial or territorial health care ministries would be best suited to respond.”
But when SooToday reached out to the provincial Ministry of Health about a possible investigation, a spokesperson for that agency pointed to Sault Area Hospital for answers.
“Hospitals are independent corporations responsible for their own day-to-day operations including procedures, protocols and programs,” said ministry spokesperson W.D. Lighthall. “As such, any questions on this matter should be directed to the hospital directly.”
When SooToday reached out to Sault Area Hospital for comment for the original story, spokesperson Brandy Sharp Young declined to comment because the matter is before the courts.
Interviewed last week at an unrelated press conference, Sault Ste. Marie MPP Ross Romano echoed that the matter is before the courts and he cannot comment on specifics.
“So obviously we have to let that process unfold,” he told SooToday.
Speaking generally, Romano said it is concerning to think that two people had to endure such a difficult ordeal, if the allegations are proven.
“You can feel for those individuals who had to go through something like that,” he said. “It certainly would be very hard to imagine going through that type of experience, either as a parent or a young person.”
“To learn about it so many years later,” he said, before cutting himself off and reiterating that he cannot comment on specifics because the matter is before the courts.