The doctor is accused of 43 sexual crimes, including voyeurism, sexual harassment, child pornography

Warning: This article may affect people who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.

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A Canadian doctor who made international headlines during the COVID-19 pandemic with his campaign to reunite families and couples across the border has been charged with 43 crimes over the past 12 years, including sexual assault, voyeurism and making child pornography.

David Edward-Oei Poon licensed to practice medicine Ontario And SaskatchewanWhere he was working as a public health physician, he has been suspended as a result.

The allegations have not yet been tested in court. After the first two charges were filed, Poon’s lawyers told the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) that the charges are unrelated to his medical practice, are unsubstantiated and that he intends to “vigorously contest” them.

Poon was featured multiple times during the pandemic on CBC News and in the New York Times, Global News, CTV News, the Toronto Star, a Russian state media outlet and various Canadian and U.S. newspapers for his efforts to help the federal government allow loved ones like him and his partner to reunite with those separated by border restrictions.

Toronto police initially charged Poon with one count each of child sexual abuse and accessing and possessing exploitation material on November 4, 2025. section of the criminal code He first dealt with child pornography.

Two weeks later, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan limited his medical practice to patients 18 years of age and older. On December 4, 2025, the Ontario Medical College followed suit and imposed even stricter restrictions while allowing Poon to continue practicing.

in those daysOntario Medical College Inquiry, Complaint and Report Committee found that “the nature of the allegations against the defendant are relevant to his fitness to practice. Child sexual abuse and possession of exploitation material constitute serious misconduct and are, in themselves, a form of child abuse. The fact that the defendant has been charged with these criminal offenses undermines public confidence in the medical profession and poses a potential risk of harm to patients.”

A week later, on December 11, Toronto police laid 41 additional charges.

The next day, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario suspended Poon’s license, saying “Dr. Poon’s conduct poses or is likely to expose his patients to harm or injury and requires immediate intervention.”

The 41 charges include:

• Six cases of sexual harassment between 2014 and 2023.
• Six counts of drugging someone to facilitate sexual assault.
• An incident of sexual assault with a weapon in 2017 has been described as “an object of intimate pleasure”.
• Eighteen cases of voyeurism for sexual purposes between 2014 and 2025.
• Five counts of making “child pornography in the form of photographs” in 2024.
• Five counts of child sexual abuse and possession of exploitation material in 2024.

In all but four of the charges, the alleged victims are identified only as “an unknown person” or “a person”.

One incident of alleged voyeurism occurred at an amusement park in Ontario in September 2024, while another allegedly occurred at an unspecified Toronto music venue last February. The most recent charge was for an alleged April 2025 incident in Wainfleet, Ontario, a township in the Niagara Region.

Neither Poon nor his lawyers responded to multiple requests for comment from CBC News. A Toronto police spokesperson declined to comment further, citing the ongoing criminal case.

Former lawyer, university lecturer

Before his arrest in late 2025, Poon had a wide public profile beyond his medical practice – much of which stemmed from his advocacy for reuniting people separated due to pandemic restrictions. In April 2020, Poon’s then-girlfriend (now wife), who lived in Ireland, was sent home shortly after arriving in Toronto by flight to stay with him.

Pair Founded a group called Faces of Advocacy He testified before a parliamentary committee Pressed for changes to allow more non-citizens to enter Canada Poon is taking credit For Ottawa’s decision In 2020 the list will be expanded to include grandparents, grandchildren and siblings of citizens, as well as cross-border couples who had been dating for at least a year.

Poon later ran for Parliament in 2021 as an independent in the Toronto riding of then-Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, hoping to confront him over Canada’s pandemic border rules. Poon finished last behind Blair and four other candidates.

Poon holds two medical certifications: in public health, which he practiced as a medical officer of health in Northern Saskatchewan, and in family medicine, practicing psychiatry in Ontario.

He was also an adjunct lecturer and associate program director at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. In a statement to CBC News, a U of T spokesperson said Poon’s appointment at the university ended in early December 2025.

The University of Saskatchewan similarly told CBC News that Poon provided contract services to its Northern Medical Services until November 2025, and had previously provided work as a “safety and wellness representative” for residents taking exams.

Dr. Udoka Okpalouwekwe, a trained physician and PhD research officer at the university who provided research support for Northern Medical Services, told CBC News that her interactions with Poon in that context “were professional” and that she “did not observe or experience any behavior that raised concerns.”

“I was very surprised and saddened to learn of these allegations (and) when I spoke with Dr. Poon I was not aware of any concerns about his conduct,” Okpalouwekwe said.

Poon was released on bail after his first arrest in November. His bail included strict conditions, including heavy limits on internet access, a ban on using any social media and a ban on browsing the internet under a pseudonym or anonymously.

He has been denied bail following his second arrest in December, according to court records.

Poon’s next scheduled court appearance is Friday.