The Independent’s investigation into Labrador doctor shortlisted for national journalism award

Independent reporters Derek Montague and Justin Brake have been named finalists in the 2025 Canadian Association of Journalists Awards, which recognizes the best in Canadian journalism at its annual June awards gala.

In late 2024, several women came forward with allegations they had negative experiences with obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Adolf Hamann, who was already under scrutiny after botching a surgery that left North West River resident Sheila Blake in intensive care for months. After Blake’s experience was shared publicly, women in Labrador began organizing to file complaints with the province’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. Some, including Blake, also filed complaints with Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, the provincial health authority.

For weeks, reporter Derek Montague interviewed women who were willing to go public with their experiences involving Dr. Hamann. Their allegations ranged from slightly aggressive to outright frightening behaviour. Karyn Couperthwaite, a nurse who works in the same hospital as Hamann, recounted how he had physically blocked her ex-husband from entering a hospital room while she was in labour. Couperthwaite, who is Inuk, alleged she was involuntarily and unknowingly sterilized by Dr. Hamann several years earlier. The Independent broke that story in January 2025 and revealed Dr. Hamann was the same doctor who had pleaded guilty to uttering threats to a colleague in 2010 when he worked in Corner Brook on Newfoundland’s west coast. Hamann was subsequently banned from practicing at that hospital, but then relocated to Happy Valley-Goose Bay where he began practicing at the Labrador Health Centre, which at the time was under the jurisdiction of a separate provincial health authority.

In September 2025, some of Hamann’s complainants contacted The Independent with requests to investigate reports the doctor had returned to work without any warning to his patients or alleged victims. We confirmed this was true, a decision by the provincial health authority that sent shockwaves throughout Labrador. For context, with just two OBGYNs in all of Labrador, Hamann is responsible for the reproductive healthcare of thousands of women, including those from several Innu and Inuit communities.

When The Independent confirmed Hamann’s return, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the provincial health authority, and then-Premier John Hogan all struggled to explain how a doctor under active investigation following complaints from at least 20 patients could continue practicing. In one of our follow-up stories, an Inuk woman told The Independent she cancelled an appointment when she learned (after arriving at the hospital) she would be seeing Hamann.

Then-Opposition Health Critic and Labrador MHA Lela Evans told The Independent the situation was “unacceptable” and “creating a lot of stress and anxiety” in Labrador communities. In October 2025, following the Progressive Conservatives’ provincial election win, Evans was appointed Minister of Health.

In December, after the province’s College of Physicians and Surgeons renewed Hamann’s medical license, Evans laid blame for what she called a “crisis of trust” in reproductive healthcare at the feet of the provincial health authority and vowed to “get to the bottom” of the situation. The health minister’s public shaming of Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services seems to have prompted the health authority to offer The Independent an interview with two senior officials, during which neither could answer the question of how a doctor could be barred from practicing in one part of the province but be allowed to practice in another.

The Independent was the only news outlet to report this story until Evans began speaking about it publicly after she became health minister. The coverage was a double-edged sword, however. The attention to the allegations and complaints led to an unknown number of women refusing to see Dr. Hamann, even in the absence of an alternative doctor in Central Labrador. As Evans pointed out in one interview, this represented a serious risk to women’s health in Labrador.

At the same time, the coverage had a clear impact on public discussion, government accountability, and on policy changes within the health authority. In the December interview with health authority officials, they revealed they were reviewing their public-facing communications about patient complaints, and consulting with Indigenous governments about how the authority can better serve Indigenous patients in the province.

The Independent was able to break and follow this story because of the trust it built with patients and former patients. We are grateful for the trust of our sources and are committed to continue reporting on injustices in reproductive healthcare in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“This year’s finalists all demonstrate a commitment to excellence that goes far beyond simply reporting facts – these stories involve persistence, perseverance and a demand for accountability,” Canadian Association of Journalists National President Brent Jolly said in a news release Tuesday. “A commitment to excellence is what separates journalism from noise. The daily commitment of Canadian journalists to persevere through intimidation, secrecy, or other personal risks to uphold the public’s right to know is not only a courageous act but a vital safeguard to our collective health, safety, and continued democratic way of life.”

Winners will be announced at the CAJ Awards Gala June 13 in Ottawa.