The Niagara Health board announced late Wednesday that it is ending its relationship with Dr. Tom Stewart, who previously served as CEO for Niagara Health through an agreement with St Joseph's Health in Hamilton.
The management agreement was scrapped after a decision by the board, ultimately getting rid of Stewart, who has come under fire in the last 24 hours after he was revealed having vacationed in the Dominican Republic, while the province was under a provincial COVID lockdown.
Earlier today, Stewart himself announced he would be stepping down from a number of health committees that he served on, among them a panel that serves the provincial pandemic response.
The news of Stewart's vacation, first reported by CBC, has garnered widespread online criticism - partly after a tweet from March emerged, where Stewart himself talked about the weight of avoiding travel abroad.
This is the right thing to do to #FlattenTheCurve & to protect our communities. I applaud the leadership of @celliottability & Dr. Williams for making the call to avoid all non-essential travel outside #Canada & immediately suspend all large events. https://t.co/X4lGTmXCDS https://t.co/baoRWvklWW
— Dr. Tom Stewart (@DrThomasStewart) March 13, 2020
Ontario Premier Doug Ford was asked earlier today about the future of Stewart and replied it would be up to the board.
Stewart, who made the Ontario Sunshine List in 2019, is currently self-isolating at home after his trip, and issued a statement on Tuesday, saying he was 'sorry.'
Lynn Gurriero will serve as interim CEO at Niagara Health, said a statement from the board.
