Toronto psychiatrist stripped of licence over 1,400 baseless COVID exemption letters

A Toronto psychiatrist has lost her medical licence after writing hundreds of COVID-19 exemption letters without proper justification. Celeste Jean Thirlwell issued 1,475 documents that allowed patients to skip vaccination, masking, and testing during the pandemic's fourth wave. A disciplinary tribunal ruled her actions unprofessional and harmful to public health. Between late August and October 2021, Thirlwell produced 1,424 exemption letters for patients. Most—999 in total—excused people from vaccination, while 230 covered mask-wearing. An independent review later found only two of these letters met medical standards.

The psychiatrist, who specialised in sleep disorders and mental health, had no training in immunology or infectious diseases. Instead, she relied on unverified family histories, misinformation, and unsupported claims to justify exemptions. Patients paid her $300 each for the letters, netting her an estimated $427,500 over three months. Ontario's medical regulator, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, had warned that vaccine exemptions should apply only to a 'very few' conditions. The tribunal condemned Thirlwell's conduct as dishonourable, noting it put patients and the public at risk. Alongside revoking her licence, the College ordered her to pay $10,370 in costs.

Thirlwell no longer holds a medical licence in Ontario. The tribunal's decision closes a case that centred on improper exemption practices during a critical phase of the pandemic. No further disciplinary actions or policy changes by the College have been reported.