A surgeon in northwestern Alberta has been found guilty of unprofessional conduct for hanging a rope in the shape of a noose on an operating room door.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta says that Dr. Wynand Wessels acted with the intention of sending a message that could be interpreted as “intimidating or threatening.”
But the decision by a college hearing tribunal says there was not enough evidence to show that Wessels was motivated by racism.
Read more:
Alberta health minister orders review into racism after noose found at Grande Prairie Hospital
The rope was put up on a door leading to an operating room at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Grande Prairie, Alta., on June 24, 2016.
A hearing into the incident was told Dr. Wessels grew up in South Africa during Apartheid and liked making knots.
Wessels suggested the gesture was about team-building and was not directed at any person but the decision says it was seen as violent and racist by many colleagues.
The college says sanctions will be determined at a later hearing.