Mélissa Gélinas
Published online March 25, 2026, at www.pontiacjournal.com.
SHAWVILLE – On February 10, Dr. Peter Paul Talko was found guilty on four disciplinary counts by the Collège des médecins du Québec’s (CMQ) disciplinary council after failing to submit required documentation related to medical assistance in dying (MAID) for three patients and not responding to requests for those declarations.
Following a hearing October 20, 2025, the disciplinary council imposed suspensions totalling four months, effective March 19, 2026. He must also pay fines on each count, though the amounts were not specified.
The Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO) said all of Dr. Talko’s MAID-related activities have been suspended by the institution since 2024.
Dr. Talko holds a specialist certificate in family medicine and has been registered with the CMQ since July 1, 1994. He practises at the Shawville Medical Centre, located at his residence. In 2025, he also pleaded guilty to an offence for practising family medicine in a setting that did not meet safety, sanitation and hygiene standards. He was fined $5,000 and ceased practising at his clinic while bringing it into compliance. Inspections were later conducted to ensure standards were met.
In the current case, the events began in 2023 and continued into 2024. Dr. Talko administered MAID to Patient A without filing the required declaration. He later made the same omission with Patient B. In the case of Patient C, the patient died before the procedure could be administered, and no declaration was filed.
Depending on the case, he had between 10 and 30 days to submit the required information to the Commission on End-of-Life Care. In 2024, he received several reminders to respond to requests from the assistant syndic of his professional order regarding the undeclared MAID cases, whether administered or not. In his defence, he said he believed the requests were optional.
After a third reminder, a bailiff was required to notify him. As of May 2025, no declarations had been submitted. A disciplinary complaint was filed May 30, 2025. During his testimony, Dr. Talko said he administered MAID in a hospital setting and that all relevant information had been recorded in patient files. He maintained that the quality of care met professional standards.
He said he received no payment for these procedures beyond standard consultation fees.
However, he noted difficulties with the Saphir software used to enter end-of-life care data, saying he was unable to input the required information. He said doing so would have required creating a separate file, which he found too complex.
Dr. Talko acknowledged committing a professional fault and apologized. He said he sought to provide a service he was the only physician able to offer in the region, focusing on training and quality of care rather than administrative requirements.
Dr. Talko declined the Journal’s request for comment.
