MUSKOKA RECOVERY REHAB CENTRE IN GRAVENHURST SUED BY EX-PATIENTS FOR $40M ALLEGING ‘ABUSES’
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
GRAVENHURST — A private luxury rehab centre here is being sued by three former patients who claim “Muskoka Recovery deliberately and systemically misled, lured, financially exploited, abused and endangered vulnerable people seeking treatment at the facility,” according to a statement of claim filed in Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice.
A story here today in the Toronto Star, by investigative reporter Kevin Donovan, says the three people who received treatment allege “people trying to get off drugs were given the same drugs they were addicted to and that, in one case, the rehab’s owners told a suicidal patient ‘only weak people kill themselves.’”
The $40 million suit could become a class action suit if more people join.
Last year The Star wrote about the Muskoka Recovery in a series as part of their investigation that claimed while the facility promised 24/7 medical care and qualified therapists in a setting of “affordable luxury,” none of that care existed.
The Star identified the owners as Ewa Ricci, Ralph Canonaco and clinical director Damienth.
A year ago, January 2024, a patient died at the rehab centre where the OPP and Gravenhurst firefighters responded in the middle of the night.
The centre’s location is undisclosed.
Its owners reportedly deny the allegations.
EMAIL: [email protected]
30 years of TRUSTED ‘Local Online Journalism’
SINCE MAY 20, 1994
Twitter: @muskokatoday, Facebook: mclairmont1
SUBSCRIBE for $30 by e-transferring to [email protected]
Mail cheque to MuskokaTODAY.com Box 34 Gravenhurst, Ont. P1P 1T5
And include your email address to get stories sent to your inbox
