Ousted Horizon CEO looks to take on Tories

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The ousted head of Horizon Health Network who took on Progressive Conservative Premier Blaine Higgs before a labour adjudicator now hopes to take on the Tories at the polls.

Dr. John Dornan, who briefly served as Horizon CEO before his firing by Higgs and Health Minister Bruce Fitch in July 2022, announced Thursday he’ll seek the Liberal nomination in the Saint John riding of Portland-Simonds.

Long-time Tory stalwart Trevor Holder, who has held the riding for almost 25 years, recently announced his exit from politics ahead of this fall’s scheduled provincial election.

Last February, Dornan was awarded $2 million by a labour adjudicator who found he was wrongfully dismissed from his CEO post in the wake of a Fredericton ER patient’s death. That award was recently upheld by a Court of King’s Bench judge, but that decision is now under appeal by the Province of New Brunswick.

Dornan, an endocrinologist with more than 35 years of experience, primarily works at Horizon’s Saint John Regional Hospital. He says he doesn’t believe the ongoing legal case will influence his chances as a possible candidate.

“I think people thought of me generally in a positive way and I’m hopeful that they will continue to think of me in a positive way,” the 65-year-old said in an interview. “In my mind, I don’t believe what I’m doing now is related at all to recent events through the court system. That is a chapter that I believe is behind me.”

Born and raised in Newfoundland and Labrador, Dornan accepted his first medical job post-residency in the Saint John region in 1987. He steadily climbed the leadership ranks within Horizon, first serving as the head of internal medicine, then chief of medical staff and eventually CEO.

“Throughout my leadership roles, I have worked hard to be a servant leader who is not afraid to have tough conversations. That means listening to people and implementing the good ideas and progressive changes we want to see, whether it’s in our hospitals or in our communities,” Dornan said in a press release announcing his candidacy Thursday.

In an interview, Dornan said he has a vision to improve the province’s health-care system after his years of hearing from New Brunswickers as a Horizon representative. Last fall, he took his ideas to Liberal Leader Susan Holt who asked him to serve as the party’s candidate for his riding of Portland-Simonds.

“Running for politics is a chance to bring some of the knowledge, skills and experiences that I have had to a governing body that is charged with making changes to advance the wellbeing of New Brunswickers, and for me specifically, the people of Portland-Simonds,” said Dornan, who raised his two children in the riding with his wife Gail.

A nominating meeting for the Portland-Simonds Liberal Association is scheduled for May 8.