Former Kitchener neurologist can’t resume practice despite acquittal on sex charges

On Friday, Justice Craig Parry ruled Jeffrey Scott Sloka not guilty of 48 counts of sexual assault

Published Apr 28, 2026  •  3 minute read

A doctor wears a stethoscope as he sees a patient. Photo by Joe Raedle / Files /Getty Images

Despite being acquitted on dozens of sex assault charges last week, a former neurologist in Ontario will not be able to resume his practice.

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In a Kitchener courtroom on Friday, Justice Craig Parry ruled that Jeffrey Scott Sloka was not guilty of 48 counts of sexual assault after finding there was a valid reason for the exams involving women’s breasts, vaginas and rectums.

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The verdict was delivered more than four-and-a-half years after the trial began and involved nearly 70 women who made complaints between 2010 and 2017. Sloka was initially facing more than 70 charges, but Crown prosecutors focused on four victims.

Medical certificate revoked in 2019

However, Sloka will not be returning to work as a neurologist as the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), which regulates doctors in the province, found he “committed acts of professional misconduct” and revoked his certificate of registration nearly seven years ago, on April 30, 2019.

“Effective that same date, Dr. Sloka also agreed never to apply or reapply for registration as a physician in Ontario or any other jurisdiction,” a CPSO spokesperson told the Toronto Sun in an emailed statement.

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Despite Sloka’s acquittal, the spokesperson said the criminal matter is separate from the College’s oversight and the verdict does not change his registration status, which is currently listed as inactive.

“While different proceedings may occur concurrently, criminal charges are laid by police and handled by the courts and are separate from CPSO’s regulatory processes,” the spokesperson said.

Verdict ‘deeply upsetting’ to survivors

The Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region called the verdict “deeply upsetting” for many survivors in the community.

“We know this ruling will bring up a range of emotions including anger, grief, confusion, disbelief, or something harder to name. There is no right way to feel,” the group said in a statement.

The organization pointed out that only 6% of survivors report sexual abuse to police and only a portion of those complaints result in charges. In addition, about 10% of cases that go to trial lead to a conviction.

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“Sexual assault by a physician is a profound abuse of power,” the support centre wrote. “Patients seek care in moments of vulnerability. They trust their doctors with their bodies, their health, and their safety. When that trust is violated, the harm goes far beyond the individual acts. It can shape a person’s relationship to healthcare for years, sometimes for life.”

Sloka, who studied medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s, was certified as a neurologist by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada on June 30, 2008. A year later, he received his certificate of registration to practice medicine in Ontario and began working in Kitchener.

Disciplinary hearing heard complaints

However, the CPSO disciplinary hearing heard complaints by four female patients who alleged Sloka would ask them to remove all of their clothes, including their underwear, and put on a medical gown so he could inspect their skin for any lesions, abnormal markings or moles that could be connected to their seizures or other health problems.

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It was alleged during the examinations that the doctor would remove the gown and inspect the female patients’ breasts by either touching, cupping or squeezing them.

One patient, who complained of twitching in her leg and back pain, alleged he placed “two fingers into her vagina while she lay with her legs flat on the table, which had no stirrups.”

The doctor then allegedly told the patient that he wanted to check for constipation and put a finger or fingers in her rectum for about five seconds without using a glove.

The same medical exams were performed by the doctor three or four more times, the patient alleged.

Doctor didn’t contest facts

The College’s five panel members wrote in their decision made public on June 25, 2019, that Sloka did not contest the facts as presented during the hearing and did not contest that the facts constitute professional misconduct — that “he engaged in sexual abuse of a patient” and that “he engaged in conduct or an act or omission relevant to the practice of medicine that … would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional.”

Sloka did not attend the disciplinary hearing, which they said disrespected their work.

“It is indeed discouraging that in the second decade of the twenty-first century, a physician such as yourself continues to show such blatant disregard and disrespect for the physical and mental well-being of their patients,” the panel wrote.

“The public outcry and media attention given to physicians who sexually abuse their patients has been a daily occurrence. Yet some physicians continue along this path.”

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